Sports betting operator FanDuel is now streaming National Hockey League games via its betting app, while New Jersey regulators have fined FanDuel for allowing underage patrons to place wagers.
On Monday, FanDuel announced that it reached a deal with the NHL and the league’s IMG Arena partner to livestream up to two games per day within the company’s betting app. The stream will only be available in states where FanDuel is licensed and will consist only of out-of-market games to avoid stepping on local broadcasters’ turf.
The deal marks yet another betting-friendly move by a major North American pro sports league since the US federal betting ban was struck down in 2018. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN that after “allowing our brand to be associated with sports betting companies, [the streaming deal] was not a far leap.”
The streams will only be available to FanDuel customers “who have a funded sportsbook account or placed a wager on the event.” It’s worth noting that this is the exact same criteria for viewing that got the UK media in such a frothy state after betting operators struck deals with IMG Arena to stream English Football Association Cup matches. Will America’s puritans follow suit? Watch this space.