DraftKings and FanDuel are "beginning to make some changes" ahead of their merger, as FanDuel will add golf to the "list of sports it offers," according to Daniel Roberts of YAHOO FINANCE. The move comes two months after FanDuel added the EPL to its sports lineup, which was the "first new sport it had added to its product in three years." Adding EPL and golf "suggest that FanDuel is making itself look more like DraftKings in anticipation of the time when the companies will slim to one platform." Roberts noted DraftKings has "long offered more sports than FanDuel." FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles said, "We had been looking at golf for over a year. We were mindful of the regulatory environment, but now we have states passing laws and really setting the boundaries of what we can and can’t do. We think there’s a golf product we can do that would be compliant with that and be an awesome experience. We took our time on it." FanDuel’s golf product will "start in a private, invite-only beta." To "celebrate the addition of golf, FanDuel will run a 'Tee-Off Classic' cross-sport promotion from January through March that includes $2 entry fee contests for NFL, NBA, and golf." The top 100 players in those will "qualify for the grand prize," a round of golf with Pro Football HOFer Jerome Bettis. Golf contests will "go live to all users in March, ahead of The Masters" (FINANCE.YAHOO.com, 1/17).
BOON TO THE ECONOMY: In Boston, Kelly O'Brien reported attorneys representing DraftKings, including former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, yesterday "testified before lawmakers at the State House," arguing that the company is a "boon to the local economy." They also argued that current regulations "are enough to protect consumers who pay to play" DFS. DraftKings "estimates 8 million people took part" in a DFS contest in '16, including half a million in Massachusetts (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/17).
