The Queensland Reds will be chasing a spot in the Super Rugby AU final when they take on the Melbourne Rebels this weekend at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The jury is still out on revamped Super Rugby competition, and Rugby Australia officials will be hoping for a high-quality contest in the face of the direction the season will take in 2021.
The international Rugby Championship is yet to lock in a location for the 2020 tournament, with both New Zealand and Australia under consideration for a COVID hub. Beyond 2020 the rugby landscape in the southern hemisphere is set to shift, with New Zealand and Australia likely to run separate domestic rugby competitions and South Africa to shift their clubs to the English rugby competition.
The Super Rugby AU finals are set to serve as a potential trial over the long-term viability of a streamlined domestic rugby competition in Australia.
The Queensland Reds will be aiming to progress to the final for the first time since their 2011 triumph over the Crusaders. While it has been a seven-year wait for the Reds to return to the knockout stages, the Rebels will be making their first finals appearance in their history.
The Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks and the Western Conference semifinal matchup between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers had been tied together from the Orlando bubble in terms of both games playing on the same night.
That’s over, however, as the fifth-seeded Heat shocked the top-seeded Bucks in five games Tuesday, closing things out with a 103-94 victory. It clearly helped Miami’s chances that Milwaukee superstar and lock repeat NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play Game 5 due to an ankle injury. The only game the Bucks won in the series was Game 4 when the Greek Freak injured the ankle early in the second quarter and didn’t return.
Miami was clearly the better team and has reached its first conference final since 2014, which was the last season of the LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh dynasty. The Heat are the first No. 5 seed to reach the NBA’s final four since the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013.
With just six men remaining in the U.S. Open Men’s Singles draw, there will be a new Grand Slam winner crown on Sunday. But with the tournament at the crucial quarter-final stage, who has the best chance of winning, and does betting on them represent good sportsbetting value?
The six men can be divided into two clear groups, with three favourites all either 10/3 or shorter and three outsiders all 14/1 or longer. Who should you be betting on from each group, in order to make money?
The Favourites
Of the three favourites, only Alexander Zverev (10/3) has so far made the semi-finals. The German youngster made heavy work of defeating Croatian Borna Coric, who took the first set 6-1 despite having been one of the players who caught COVID-19 around the time of the Adria Cup.
US sports bettors are more likely to bet with a non-approved bookmaker on this season’s National Football League action, despite increased access to locally licensed betting options.
On Wednesday, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released the results of a new survey into Americans’ 2020 NFL betting plans. The survey of 2,200 adults showed 54% of bettors are stoked about the new NFL season – which kicks off Thursday – versus just 41% of ‘avid and general’ NFL fans and just 18% of the general US population.
The numbers aren’t really a great surprise, as numerous surveys have shown bettors are far more dedicated consumers of NFL broadcasts than non-bettors.
But some 42% of US adults are actually less enthusiastic about the 2020 NFL season, with the increased politicization surrounding the game cited as the primary cause (36%) of this waning appeal. Other contributing factors were the absence of fans in the stands (19%) and the inability of fans to congregate with friends to watch games (17%) due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
The forthcoming NFL season is going to notoriously difficult to predict. So what would you say I we told you that the path to Super Bowl glory had already been mapped out? Don’t worry, we’re not venturing in the direction of Russian conspiracies or pre-election fixes. The good folks at ESPN have simulated the 2020/21 NFL season and come up with the team they think will lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy on 7th February next year.
It’s a very hard predicting the outcome of a single game of American football, so to simulate an entire season takes a lot of work indeed. Is it possible to be successful, though, and do the odds tally with the forecasts? Let’s take a look at exactly how it breaks down.
In the AFC, the predictions of the ESPN super-computer have the Ravens and Steelers both making the post-season from the North, with each side expected to get 12 wins from their 16 fixtures. That’s a tall order for the very best teams, but at 7/1 to win the 55th annual Super Bowl, the Ravens are favoured by the bookies ahead of the Steelers, available at 25/1. At those odds, perhaps the Steelers are the better bet.
In the AFC South, forecasts call a tight division sending the Houston Texans (60/1) through with the Indianapolis Colts (33/1), with both the Titans and Jaguars missing out, the latter to the tune of just three regular season wins, something that would give them the NFL draft’s famous ‘first pick’ for 2021.
Venerable online sportsbook BetCris has become the National Football League’s official sports betting partner in Latin America, the latest example of the US sports world’s supreme hypocrisy on betting issues.
On Tuesday, the NFL announced that the Costa Rica-based, Malta-licensed Betcris was its new official sponsor in Mexico, Central America and South America. The deal will provide the bookmaker with official NFL data for in-play betting purposes, as well as access to league trademarks and brand exposure on NFL digital properties.
Betcris will also become an official sponsor of the NFL’s 2021 game in Mexico City’s Estadio Axteca (assuming COVID-19 cooperates), as well as becoming a presenting partner of the league’s free-play Pick’Em app.
BetCris CEO JD Duarte said the NFL nod was “the culmination of years of work to make Betcris a household name in Latin America.” Chris Halpin, the NFL’s director of strategy and growth, said the league’s growing profile in LatAm made it “important that we partner with a trusted industry leader in the territory.”
This promises to a be a most unique NFL season because fans will not be in attendance at most stadiums around the league – at least for a while. If things get better with the coronavirus, that could change. Of course, if things get worse regarding COVID-19, the season might not even finish.
There are some excellent Week 1 matchups on Sunday, but without question one stands apart: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints with a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. It’s the Bucs and NFC debut of six-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady – not to mention also the Bucs debuts of Leonard Fournette, LeSean McCoy and Rob Gronkowski.
Meanwhile, this could be the final season opener for Saints quarterback Drew Brees as he’s a possibility to retire with a TV job lined up. Brees ranks No. 1 all-time in NFL passing yards and touchdowns and Brady is second. Needless to say, both are first-ballot unanimous Hall of Famers down the road. Brady’s Bucs are 3.5-point underdogs, which is notable as Brady hadn’t been a regular-season dog with his former New England Patriots team since November 2014. Tampa Bay is 4-17 SU in its past 21 as a road dog, but none of those teams had Brady.
Novak Djokovic, the number-one ranked tennis player in the world, got a little carried away during his U.S. Open match against Pablo Carreño Busta, accidentally drilling a line judge with a ball. Fortunately for the judge, she didn’t receive major injuries, but Djokovic’s actions forced game officials to disqualify him from the Grand Slam event. Sports gambling fans had shown a lot of interest in the 33-year-old Serb to win, but were left wondering what would happen to the wagers they had placed. They have now received a bit of good news, as several major sportsbooks have agreed to refund certain bets completely.
DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet, among others, are ready to take a hit in the name of fair play. PointsBet, which saw around two-thirds of all money wagered on the event put toward Djokovic, announced the decision on Sunday, tweeting, “Novak Djokovic was defaulted from the U.S. Open for striking a line judge with a ball…Just more 2020 craziness. BUT, we are refunding ALL Outright Tourney Bets and today’s pre-match result bets on Djoker IN FULL.”
DraftKings joined in, as well, announcing that it would refund all futures bets. It added that bettors should receive credits to their accounts, which were to be issued within 24 hours following the announcement. FanDuel was there, as well, saying that it was going to return “all straight futures and odds boosts wagers on Djokovic to win the tournament.”
Game officials had determined that Djokovic had to be disqualified in accordance with Grand Slam rules for “hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court.” Everyone agreed that his actions were unintentional and that he wasn’t aiming for the judge, but were egregious enough to warrant his forced exit. He has already been fined and had ranking points deducted, and could receive additional punishment after the incident is reviewed in greater detail.
With the Nations League back across midweek, we’ve taken a look at four big games that will attract plenty of interest from keen-eyed sportsbettors looking for value. Nations League betting tips don’t come easy, but who will win the Nations League games this week will come into focus across these four pivotal games.
Holland vs. Italy (Monday 7th September, 7.45pm GMT kick-off)
With Italy drawing their Nations League opener 1-1 at home to Bosnia, the Azzurri will be looking to improve in arguably their most difficult match of the Nations League group stage in Holland. The Netherlands themselves didn’t have it all their own way as they hosted Poland on Friday, but a single goal from Spurs attacking midfielder Steven Bergwijn was enough to give them victory.
While Italy will provide a sterner test for Holland than Poland did, it’s a marginally tougher game. With Ronald Koeman leaving to take over at Barcelona, what the Netherlands have done so far without him is to their credit. Having got off the mark with an opening day victory, we can see things being very tight in Amsterdam. Keeping it tight yourself by taking the draw at 9/4 makes sense, with the correct score of 1-1 available at 11/2 also appetizing. If you must take Holland to win, then take them at 7/4 to win the second half instead of the match outright at 13/10. They, like most teams post-lockdown, are likely to score more goals in the second half of games than the first.
Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Lou Brock passed away yesterday at 81. Not only did he live his mark on the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, he left it on the entire baseball community, becoming a prolific outfielder, hitter and base-stealer. The latter earned him the nickname of “Base Burglar,” becoming the only player in the history of MLB to steal 50 or more bases in 12 straight seasons. His talents at the plate and on the field were responsible for three National League pennants and two World Series championships.
Brock got off to a slow start in baseball, not playing in an organized league until the 11th grade of high school. From there, the six-time All-Star quickly began to be noticed by scouts and teams, and would play for the Cubs from 1961 to 1964 before being traded to the Cardinals. It was there that he would have the biggest impact, stealing 938 bases in the 16 years he was with the team. Brock retired in 1979, but would always be a figure intrinsically linked to baseball.
William O. DeWitt, Jr., the CEO and principle owner of the Cardinals, said in a statement about Brock’s passing, “Lou Brock was one of the most revered members of the St. Louis Cardinals organization and one of the very best to ever wear the Birds on the Bat. Lou was a Hall of Fame player, a great coach, an insightful broadcaster and a wonderful mentor to countless generations of Cardinals players, coaches and members of the front office. He was an ambassador of the game around the country and a fan favorite who connected with millions of baseball fans across multiple generations. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”
It seems a little fitting that his death would come the day his two former teams were set to face off in Chicago. Brock still holds the NL record for most career steals, and is just one behind Rickey Henderson, who set the league record in 1991 with the LA Angels when he stole his 939th base. Brock was the first player to smack over 20 home runs and steal more than 50 bases in a single season and would twice hold the record for runs scored, as well as lead MLB in single-season doubles and triples.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has been sensationally disqualified from the U.S. Open after unintentionally striking a lineswoman in his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreño Busta. Djokovic unintentionally struck the lineswoman in the throat when he discarded a ball behind him. The official fell to the ground in pain and was immediately assisted by Djokovic and tournament officials.
After apologising, Djokovic was in deep discussion with umpire Aurelie Tourte and tournament referee Soeren Friemel. Under the ATP guidelines, the 17-time major title winner was defaulted from the tournament.
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic was defaulted from his fourth-round match at the #USOpen after he accidentally hit a line judge with a tennis ball Sunday. pic.twitter.com/TTstxZB2Jw
— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2020https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The AFL has made the stunning decision to move the Grand Final outside of Victoria for the first time, with Brisbane set to host the season decider at the Gabba. Queensland has been rewarded for saving the AFL season, with the creation of a hub that allowed the regular season to continue after the COVID-19 break.
With Victoria enduring a second wave of the pandemic, the AFL chose a winning bid from Queensland over Western Australia and South Australia. In a statement from the AFL, Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan praised Queensland for their support during the pandemic:
“This has been a season like no other and I want to thank the Queensland community and the Queensland Government led by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for their support and for wholeheartedly welcoming our game to the state.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for our code and we look forward to now working with the Queensland Government to successfully stage the 2020 Toyota AFL Grand Final – the biggest event on the AFL calendar – and share it with the community right across Queensland,” he added.
FanDuel on Thursday announced the expansion of its industry-leading free to play contests for the start of the upcoming football season. For the first time, FanDuel will be launching free to play Pick’em games with three NFL teams, including the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Football Team.
FanDuel’s expanded free to play lineup will include the following, with more games coming throughout the NFL season:
In partnership with The Ringer, FanDuel is offering The Ringer Mega Contest, a free Survivor-style contest where participants pick games against the spread each week with the goal of making it to the last 100 participants standing going into the playoffs. Players pick five teams each week to beat the spread, including one “Double Down” pick worth double the points. Players will score one point for each correct pick or two points if their “Double Down” pick is correct. Whoever finishes the regular season in the top 100 on the leaderboard makes the playoffs. Then, the top 100 will pick their way through the playoffs to claim a share of $25,000 – including $10,000 to first place. FanDuel Gridiron Pick’em is a free NFL pick’em style contest, available today on FanDuel. Players try to pick the most correct winners of all of each Sunday’s matchups and split the weekly prize pool of $5,000. Coming later this week, in addition to the FanDuel Gridiron Pick’em, FanDuel will offer three white label Pick’em games in partnership with three of its team partners, the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Football Team. Each week participants will answer a series of questions about the specific team’s matchups. The participants who get the most correct answers will split the $1,000 weekly payout. Plus, there will be an additional $10K prize awarded at the end of the season to the participant who gets the most correct answers during the regular season. To qualify for the promotion, eligible individuals must have an active FanDuel Sportsbook or DFS member account or sign up for one at https://sportsbook.fanduel.com or https://www.fanduel.com/join.
“Over the past several months, we’ve prioritized giving sports fans innovative games to play and new forms of entertainment,” said John Griffin, GM of Fantasy Sports, FanDuel. “With the upcoming football season right about to start, we have the most expansive selection of free to play games, giving fans more ways to win than ever before.”
FanDuel also recently announced the launch of Best Ball contests, available to enter now, and Daily Snake Drafts for NFL coming ahead of the football season.
With just six days separating us and the start of the NFL season, the moment football fans thought might not arrive appears to be here. When the league decided to call off preseason games, fans started to get a little nervous, wondering if the regular season would have to be changed like what has been seen with all other major sports leagues. Fortunately, it seems like its all systems go for the upcoming season, but the environment will be a little different than in previous years. Several teams have announced that they won’t allow fans to attend games, others have said they will start in Week 3 or beyond and others still will open their stadium doors to their fans, but will only allow a reduced capacity. This means that the action at each field is going to be unique, and the NFL is trying to balance things out. It’s going to allow fan noise to be used during games, but expects teams to follow a very tight list of rules.
According to a tweet by NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero the NFL will allow teams to use their own sound bites, but only during the presentation of players. After that, league-provided crowd noise will be provided. In all cases, the sound level can’t go higher than 70 decibels. To put things in perspective, this is about the same level as a home vacuum cleaner and much less than what is normally seen at stadiums, which can sometimes hit the triple-digit mark. Any violation could result in a fine, a suspension or a loss of a draft pick. There will also be noise available for use in game broadcasts.
The memo distributed to teams yesterday reads, “NFL Films sound engineers have developed club specific audio pallets (crowd noise) for each NFL club. A trained audio engineer hired by the League office will work collaboratively with network personnel to incorporate the audio into the in-game broadcast feed. This audio will be dynamic and reactive to game situations within the game broadcasts. This broadcast audio is League-controlled; therefore, NFL Football Operations and NFL Broadcasting will monitor its use throughout the season.”
In order to try to cover all attempts to find a loophole, which certain teams have always shown a propensity for, the NFL adds that teams are not permitted to try to circumvent the rules by using any additional fan crowd noise other than what has been explained. This means, no blasting in music or sounds from the parking lot or any other area outside the confines of the stadium’s structure.
When the NBA called a halt to its basketball season in March, sports fans began to get worried. When MLB followed suit just before Opening Day, things looked extremely grim. Fortunately, after making some adjustments, major sports action has been able to press forward. It’s a good thing, too, because what the baseball world has been witnessing over the past month could have never been anticipated. This, by many accounts, has been one of the best seasons in modern-day baseball history, and it’s only going to get better.
Take, for example, the LA Dodgers setting the National League (NL) record for the most home runs in a month. They achieved this off the bet of Cody Belllinger in a game against the Texas Rangers this past Sunday, giving the team 57 homers in August. The hit was not only big for him, but it also allowed both Will Smith and Corey Seager to score as the Dodgers cruised to a 7-2 victory. Before this home run, the Atlanta Braves held the NL record, set in June of last year, with 56.
Almost in an effort to make sure their legacy stayed somewhat intact, the Braves went on to set a record of a different kind in their series against the Boston Red Sox this week. Marcell Ozuna helped crack an uncrackable nut when he logged three home runs against the Red Sox on Tuesday and Adam Duvall broke it wide open when he did the same on Wednesday. This is also the first time in MLB history that two teammates have three-homer days in back-to-back games (Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig had back-to-back three-homer games, but that was during a doubleheader).
It’s rare to see a rookie step up to the plate with a butterfly-free stomach and not choke. Being a new player in the majors has to be a little unnerving for any player, as well as the team that put up big bucks to acquire him. Bobby Dalbec was drafted by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft and spent the next couple of years honing his skills in the minors. The Red Sox felt it was time for him to finally move up and promoted him to their MLB roster this year. As he made his second at-bat, coming in the third inning, he nailed the pitch, sending sailing into the right-field bleachers. He had only just been called up from the minors that same day.
Had this been a normal year, September 5 would have been the first full Saturday of the 2020 college football season and that would have completely overshadowed any UFC event. Alas, this hasn’t been a normal year by any standards and there are only a handful of lower-tier NCAA games. Thus, Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card from Las Vegas should draw more betting action than it normally would, and it’s headlined by a heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai.
The 40-year-old Overeem (46-18), from the Netherlands, is nearing the end of a legendary career – legendary even though he has not won a UFC title. However, the “Demolition Man” is a former Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion as well as a one-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion. Overeem is one of only two fighters to hold world titles in both MMA and K-1 kickboxing simultaneously.
His lone UFC heavyweight title shot came at UFC 203 in September 2016 and he lost by first-round knockout to current champion Stipe Miocic; Overeem does hold several wins over former UFC heavyweight champions, though.
It was considered one of baseball’s most unbreakable records. But on September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. added to his Hall of Fame resumé by playing in his 2131st consecutive game, eclipsing the mark of another immortal, Lou Gehrig, in front of the home fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Now, a quarter century later, in celebration of the achievement, the all-time great shortstop has worked with TOPPS to curate two special edition collectible card series which tell the story of his journey to 2131, the magical night—which included a Ripken home run—and the day he finally ended the streak four years later.
The Ripken set will be available for a limited time beginning on Sunday, 25 years to the day he passed Gehrig, in a deluxe collector’s edition which includes a Ripken autograph card as well as a standard edition. Cards will depict numerous highlights of his career as well as other players and games Ripken selected as personally most memorable.
“Baseball cards have been a part of my family’s life for years, and I couldn’t be happier to be working with TOPPS to create this set,” said Ripken, whose father Cal Sr. coached and managed and brother Bill also played in the Majors. “I selected cards that represent special moments and people that have made my life in baseball special, and ones that I think fans will enjoy collecting.”
“Cal Ripken’s ‘Ironman’ streak is one of the sport’s classic records, set by one of its most popular players ever,” said Jeff Heckman, Topps’ Global Director of Ecommerce. “We are excited that Cal wanted to commemorate this 25th anniversary with cards that represent what the game means to him, in the context of this achievement.”
Every year, the NFL and Electronic Arts release the latest ‘Madden’ game. It’s a little like FIFA is for soccer, except for one big differential.
Madden is losing fans and getting less and less popular with every year that passes.
Released last week, NFL fans have been all over social media complaining about the repetitive cut-scenes, samey graphics and glitches that they see as pointing to slipping standards.
With ratings for the ‘Madden 21’ version of the game slumping to an all-time low of 6.0/10 on IGN, Gamespot and other sites rated it just as badly. With the game available on consoles such as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well as PCs, Twitter blew up with feedback on the game, including from a very famous ‘fan’.
he PGA TOUR and FanDuel Sportsbook agreed today on a multi-year content and marketing relationship designating FanDuel an Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR.
By joining the TOUR’s Official Betting Operator program, FanDuel will have rights in the United States to use PGA TOUR marks, rights to advertise within TOUR media and TOUR partner platforms, plus content and video rights allowing FanDuel to create pre-game and post-game betting programming, as well as distribution of highlights to users who have placed bets. Additionally, the PGA TOUR and FanDuel will collaborate to deliver odds-based content to fans via TOUR Digital Platforms like PGATOUR.COM and the PGA TOUR app.
“We have long admired FanDuel’s brand, product and marketing strategies as well as the leadership position it has taken since the legalization of sports betting in 2018,” said Norb Gambuzza, SVP, Media and Gaming at the PGA TOUR. “We are excited to bring FanDuel into the PGA TOUR’s Official Betting Operator program as we continue to engage new fans in this rapidly growing space.”
FanDuel Sportsbook has seen substantial growth in golf gaming: Golf has recorded the highest single event handle on FanDuel Sportsbook over nine of the last 12 Sundays.
FanDuel Sportsbook’s total golf handle in New Jersey in 2020 already has surpassed the total golf handle from 2019, even without thirteen weeks of PGA TOUR competitions during the shutdown.
“Golf interest is up on FanDuel, so we are excited to deepen our relationship with the PGA TOUR,” said Mike Raffensperger, CMO FanDuel Group. “We will now be able to offer unique gaming experiences on our platform, special TOUR related promotions for our customers and an enhanced content experience across the TOUR’s properties to really prove to bettors across the nation that there are More Ways to Win at FanDuel.”
Following the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, the TOUR instituted an integrity program in collaboration with Genius Sports to protect its competitions from betting-related corruption. Later that year, the TOUR announced a global partnership with IMG ARENA to license its official, live scoring data to betting operators all over the world.
The PGA TOUR is a Platinum Member of the National Council on Problem Gambling, committed to industry-leading responsible gaming practices.
In a continued expansion of their successful nationwide partnership, Boyd Gaming Corporation and FanDuel Group today announced the debut of the FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook in the state of Illinois.
Sports bettors across the state of Illinois now have access to FanDuel’s industry-leading online and mobile sports-betting platform, with wagering options available in professional football, basketball, baseball, hockey and more. Additionally, FanDuel will operate a retail sportsbook located at Boyd Gaming’s Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria, Illinois, pending regulatory approval.
Keith Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming, said: “Given the tremendous success of our existing FanDuel Sportsbooks, we are confident that the FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook will quickly become Illinois sports bettors’ mobile app of choice. We are excited for the opportunity to offer both mobile and retail sports betting in one of the most populous states in the country, as we continue to expand our strategic partnership with FanDuel Group.”
“Sports are back and FanDuel, America’s No. 1 sportsbook, is coming to Illinois with our friends at Boyd Gaming and the Par-A-Dice Casino,” said Matt King, Chief Executive Officer of FanDuel Group. “Boyd Gaming and the Par-A-Dice are perfect partners for us to bring our innovative sports-betting app and retail sportsbook experience to sports fans in Illinois.”
Since launching their partnership in mid-2018, Boyd Gaming and FanDuel have introduced mobile sports-betting apps in Indiana and Pennsylvania, as well as retail FanDuel Sportsbooks at eight Boyd Gaming properties in five states. The FanDuel Sportsbook has an online leadership position in Pennsylvania, and is one of the top retail sportsbooks in Iowa at Diamond Jo Worth.
The partnership between Boyd Gaming and FanDuel Group includes collaborative efforts between the two companies in mobile and online sports betting and casino games, where permitted by law. The agreement includes states where Boyd Gaming holds gaming licenses, excluding Nevada, as well as additional states covered under Boyd Gaming’s current market-access agreements. Boyd Gaming currently has access in 15 states nationwide, representing more than 36% of the U.S. population.
In addition to their retail and online sports-betting partnership, Boyd Gaming and FanDuel also operate an online casino in the state of Pennsylvania. The companies are also engaged in extensive co-branding and cross-promotional efforts, as the two companies actively market each other’s properties and products to their respective customer bases nationwide.
