Manhattan-based FanDuel and the Western Regional OTB announced a tentative financial partnership and plan to seek a state approval for paid daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests in New York.
Western Regional OTB owns and operates a casino in Batavia and is among the few New York casino operators that did not support state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s ban on paid DFS contests.
State lawmakers say they have reached a tentative deal that would legalize DFS contests. Governor Andrew Cuomo has not stated an official position on the potential measure, but sponsoring lawmakers are confident he eventually will sign an enabling bill for DFS.
If that is done, OTB and FanDuel say they will ask the New York Gaming Commission for permission to okay their partnership.
FanDuel and the OTB in a June 6 disclosure said their proposed partnership would enable them to partner on DFS contests that FanDuel would promote to its members, while also driving more bettors to the OTB’s casino in Batavia.
One proposed contest would be a live tournament for each major professional sports league at the Batavia casino, while taking advantage of the many deals FanDuel has with former and current professional athletes.
FanDuel also wants to leverage its many co-branding deals with Budweiser, the NBA, Buffalo Bills and 15 other NFL teams, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and others, to make its tentative OTB partnership a long-term success.
