Fantasy Sports
Hotwire Launches New Game to Test Fans’ Fantasy Basketball Expertise

Just in time for the basketball playoffs, Hotwire® is launching a new edition of the “Hotwire® Effect” game. This “pick ’em” style game will be entirely free to play and features guaranteed prizes totaling $25,000. The new game tiped off on May 22, 2021.
The “Hotwire Effect Pick ‘Em” game was designed by DraftKings to challenge players’ strategic approach by mirroring Hotwire’s mystery booking process that enables travelers to score incredible deals on hotels. Just like booking a hotel on Hotwire, participants will make their picks based on stats rather than player names. The actual player names will be hidden until after the games start, marking a new way to draft and a smarter, better way to travel.
Hotwire, the travel app known for its mystery Hot Rate® deals, lets travelers pick their hotel using everything from the neighborhood, to customer ratings, and even featured amenities. The name of the hotel is only revealed after booking, helping savvy travelers score a better hotel than they thought they could afford. The excitement or “Hotwire Effect” that players will experience when seeing the results of their winning selections is matched only by the thrill that travelers feel when the amazing hotel they were able to score on Hotwire is revealed.
“The Hotwire Effect is what makes Hotwire different from other travel sites. By revealing the property name after booking is complete, not only do we enable travelers to stay in amazing hotels for the same price they would have paid for a less-great hotel – we give them the satisfaction of knowing that they shopped a bit smarter than everyone else,” said Melissa Postier, Brand Director, Hotwire. “The Hotwire Effect Series seeks to give players that same rush – that their skill and intuition allowed them to be able to draft a better team than their competition.”
How to play The Hotwire Effect Series*:
There will be six player matchups for each game slate. Players will pick the player in each 1-on-1 matchup they think will outscore their opponent in fantasy points. Those players will be their lineup for the day.
For players feeling extra confident in a pick, they will be able to designate a captain in their lineup that will score them 1.5 times the points.
Once the games start and the contest begins, names are revealed, and users can see who they actually drafted, much like how the Hotwire app works when booking a hotel.
Players who come out on top against the competition will win a share of $5,000 in cash prizing.
Contest dates* are 5/22, 5/28, 6/7, 6/14 and 6/22.
*Contest dates are subject to change based on league scheduling changes. Eligibility restrictions apply. See DraftKings.com for details.
Prizing:
The Hotwire Effect Series has $25,000 total guaranteed in prizes ($5,000 per contest).
Top finishers will win based on which contestants have the highest score each contest.
Running five contests over the next five weeks, the “Hotwire Effect Series” offers players the opportunity to take a shot at $25,000 in total prizes. To learn more and sign-up for Hotwire Effect Pick ‘Em, please visit www.draftkings.com/hotwire.
Fantasy Sports
FanDuel Debuts New Peer to Peer Fantasy Product “FanDuel Picks” in Select States

FanDuel, North America’s premier online gaming company, is introducing FanDuel Picks, a new peer-to-peer fantasy sports product. FanDuel Picks offers fans a simplified way to engage with their favorite athletes and a chance to win up to 1000x their entry fee by building lineups and selecting whether the athletes will beat their projected stats during games. Customers new to FanDuel Picks who play $5 will get $60 in bonus funds.
With FanDuel Picks, customers can pick three to six players, select “more” or “less” on the players’ projected stat lines and set their contest entry amount. Customers earn points for every correct selection, and customers with the highest score win a share of the prize pool.
“Just in time for NFL season, we are excited to bring fans a social way to engage with the sports and athletes they love with the launch of FanDuel Picks. The ‘more’ or ‘less’ selection model offers a streamlined fantasy sports experience, and we look forward to offering our customers another way to interact with games this season,” said Rob Cullen, FanDuel Picks General Manager.
FanDuel Picks is now available in 17 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.
Fantasy Sports
Betsperts Media & Technology Group Acquires Fantasy National Golf Club

Betsperts Media & Technology Group, a leading innovator in sports betting and fantasy sports content, announced the acquisition of Fantasy National Golf Club from SportsHub Games Network. This move significantly enhances Betsperts’ successful Betsperts Golf platform, solidifying its position as a premier destination for golf enthusiasts and bettors.
Fantasy National Golf Club has long been recognized as a cornerstone for golf analytics and data, providing tools and insights to a dedicated community of fantasy golf players and golf bettors. Integrating Fantasy Nationa’s robust data capabilities and loyal user base into Betsperts Golf will create an unparalleled resource for golf content, data, and strategic tools.
“This acquisition marks a pivotal moment for Betsperts Media & Technology Group and our commitment to delivering best-in-class golf content. Fantasy National Golf Club brings an incredible depth of data and a highly engaged community that perfectly complements our vision for our golf strategy. We are excited to integrate their powerful tools and welcome their users, creating an even more comprehensive and indispensable platform for golf fans,” said Reid Rooney, CEO of Betsperts Media & Technology Group.
Renowned media personality Pat Mayo (one of the co-founders of Fantasy National Golf Club) will be joining Betsperts Media & Technology Group. Mayo will play a crucial role in promoting the newly expanded product offering and contributing to the future development of Betsperts’ golf product strategy. His extensive knowledge and influential voice in the golf and fantasy sports communities will be instrumental in driving engagement and innovation.
“I’ve always been passionate about providing the best possible resources for golf fans, and joining Betsperts at this exciting time is a natural fit. The combination of Betsperts Golf and Fantasy National Golf Club creates a powerhouse of information and tools. I’m thrilled to help shape the future of this product and deliver even more value to the golf community,” said Pat Mayo.
The acquisition underscores Betsperts Media & Technology Group’s aggressive growth strategy across key sports verticals. This deal marks the 5th completed acquisition for Betsperts Group.
“We will continue to look to growth through an aggressive acquisition and roll up strategy,” Rooney said.
Users of both Betsperts Golf and Fantasy National Golf Club can look forward to enhanced features, deeper analytics, and an even more seamless experience.
Fantasy Sports
Wire Industries Inc Announces Expansion of its FantasyWire Subdivision

Wire Industries Inc, an award-winning technology and media company that owns and operates the revolutionary sports betting marketplace WagerWire, announced the groundbreaking expansion of its FantasyWire subdivision.
FantasyWire recently garnered recognition by winning awards from the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association (FSGA) for “Best Product Experience” and “Best Innovation”. The award for Product Experience was attributed to the FantasyWire Pickem trading marketplace which launched in partnership with RealTime Fantasy Sports in 2024 and broke new ground as the first-ever secondary marketplace for users to buy and sell DFS (daily fantasy sports) Pickem entries. Their Best Innovation win acknowledged FantasyWire’s robust pricing engine which powers the dynamic marketplace by allowing players to evaluate a live suggested sales price and deal score on any lineup they wish to sell or buy.
The overwhelming success of the Pickem entries marketplace laid the foundation to expand the offering to an even wider fantasy sports audience. And now, this latest release introduces DFS Pools to the secondary marketplace for the first time ever, further solidifying WagerWire’s position as a leader in the daily fantasy and sports betting industries. The DFS Pool marketplace will operate similarly to the Pickem marketplace. After a player builds a lineup and joins a particular pool, they will be able to sell a portion, or the entirety of the entry within the marketplace directly embedded into the RealTime Sports platform.
“Our users fell in love with the Pickem marketplace and took to it right away. The results were astounding, so creating a new user experience to increase the action and engagement for our users was a no-brainer. There is no other fantasy platform on the planet that allows you to turn your unique entries, both Pickem and pool based, into an asset by leveraging the real time value of that entry. RealTime Sports has been leading the way in terms of fantasy sports innovation since 1995, and our ultra-successful partnership with WagerWire solidifies that we’re still the market leader in game-play, winnings, and innovation,” said Tim Jensen, COO of RT Sports.
The FantasyWire experience is powered by the same award-winning pricing engine from Pickem, but now enhanced to accommodate the complexities of a DFS Pool. The platform’s dynamic suggested pricing and deal scores empower users with unparalleled insights, ensuring players can maximize returns on their assets. The models are built on thousands of real-time simulations – which are constantly run both before the games and during the games as scores are changing – to calculate where entries will finish against their competitors within a specific pool. Based on these simulations, WagerWire’s data science team models the calculated probability, as well as a live and real-time dollar value for an entry, to help buyers and sellers’ price and set the market accordingly.
Wire Media serves as the growth engine behind FantasyWire’s expanding product suite by inverting the traditional media model. Instead of relying on paid ads or celebrity endorsements, Wire Media tells the story of the fantasy entries and the people playing them, elevating users into influencers to organically drive engagement.
The expansion of the partnership and product has begun to make noise in the fantasy sports and gaming industry. With the news of this latest launch in partnership with RealTime Sports as well as the two 2025 FSGA awards, the industry acknowledged Wire Industries even further by electing cofounder and CEO Zach Doctor to the FSGA Board of Directors.
“One of the main missions behind the creation and founding of WagerWire is to provide liquidity and value to every form of gaming asset, from betting tickets, to Pickems, to contests. And DFS pools were the next asset class to be utilized. Our industry recognition is proof that our products and offerings are truly cutting edge, reshaping the fantasy user experience and changing the expectations around the fantasy market forever,” said Zach Doctor, CEO of WagerWire.
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