NEWS
3 April 2019
NIGA panel: 'FanDuel and DraftKings are not unbeatable on mobile, despite NJ results'
By David Cook

If current results from New Jersey, the US' biggest mobile sports betting market, are anything to go by, FanDuel and DraftKings' partners are clearly market leaders.

For February, FanDuel partner Meadowlands topped the chart with $8.1m revenue, while Resorts Digital, partnered with DraftKings and The Stars Group, came in second with $3.7m revenue.

While PASPA was repealed last May, FanDuel and DraftKings already had large player databases and a significant standing in mobile gaming.

The NIGA panel discussed how sports betting can enhance land-based and mobile offerings. When asked by Gambling Insider how land-based casinos wishing to offer mobile sports betting can compete with the two said brands, Neale Deeley, Vice President of Sales, Sportradar, said: "They're capable organisations, but they're not unbeatable. Who is, right? It's about picking the right partners to make yourselves successful."

Luisa Woods, VP of Marketing, Gaming and Entertainment at Delaware North, said: "The balance of market share is very dynamic. There were a lot of people saying overseas suppliers would come in and take over the market, and that didn't happen. A lot of the established land-based operators have been around for decades, where they have built trust and established loyalty with players.

"I think we're going to see a lot of operators leveraging different models and it will be dynamic for a long time. I don't think we can call it winners and losers at this point."

Rob Bone, President of Amelco USA, added: "Not all sports wagering platforms are the same. Some have the functionality that allow you to be more granular. Operators should do their research and realise which supplier is best to optimise and efficiently target their player base so that they can compete with the big guys."

At an American Gaming Association event last week, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins accused William Hill US CEO Joe Asher of having an agenda to curtail DraftKings' progress.