U.S. casino operator Bally’s has agreed to buy online fantasy sports platform Monkey Knife Fight in an all-stock transaction. The deal is another match between online gaming and sports media, as it follows Bally’s purchase of naming rights to 21 regional sports networks owned by Sinclair.
Monkey Knife Fight will help Bally’s establish a database of potential sports bettors in Canada and states such as Texas, California, and Florida—big markets that have not yet legalized sports betting but offer Monkey Knife Fight’s daily fantasy sports. In November, Bally’s acquired sports betting technology platform Bet.Works, and it separately signed a naming rights deal for Sinclair’s regional sports networks worth $85 million over 10 years, according to the New York Post.
“The MKF acquisition will allow Bally’s to leverage both its current customer database as well as DFS’s collection of depositing players. These assets will also provide Bally’s with a significant advantage in launching its own B2C sports betting operations,” Bally’s CEO George Papanier said in a statement.
MKF has 180,000 registered users across 37 states, Washington D.C., and Canada. Last year, the company secured marketing deals with pro teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Chargers, and LA Galaxy. The NFLPA acquired an ownership stake in Monkey Knife Fight in October.
