Fantasy Sports
FSTA to expand and embrace changes
Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) has decided to expand further and embrace more changes. FSTA has announced at its Winter Conference that it is welcoming the legal and technological changes happening in the industry and it is planning bring in sports gaming into its ambit. The organisation will change its name to Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association (FSGA), with effect from 1 April 2019.
The association plans to expand its mission to include all the new markets emerging in sports: sports betting, games of skills and non-sports contests.
With the recent US Supreme Court decision overturning PASPA and allowing states to decide whether to legalise sports betting, the expanded scope of the association will allow members to network with the dealmakers in these new markets and to collectively work to ensure that the new laws allow members to compete in the marketplace.
The FSGA will continue to be the leading association for the fantasy sports industry, but its expanded focus will offer a forum for companies that offer games, services, analytics, and content for both legal contests of skill and sports gaming.
“We see a need for an association of companies that not only offer fantasy sports, but also emerging gaming opportunities,” said FSTA president Paul Charchian. “Non-sports fantasy games, eSports and sports betting have gameplay similarities, shared vendors, shared customers and shared legal goals. We will build on our 21-year track record of helping to grow the businesses within these industries.”
The number of fantasy sports players has increased exponentially, to nearly 60 million in the US and Canada, since the FSTA was formed. The FSTA has been a big part of that growth, generating research and data for the industry, providing key networking opportunities and a forum for collective action.
The FSTA has led legal efforts to defend the use of player names in fantasy contests and to defend fantasy sports as legal games of skill, spearheading an effort that has seen 20 states pass laws confirming paid fantasy sports contests are legal games of skill.
The debut event of the FSGA will be its June 27–28 Summer Conference in New York City.
Fantasy Sports
Canton Welcomes the Return of the Country’s Largest Fantasy Football Expo to Hall of Fame Village in August
Hall of Fame Village announced that the largest Fantasy Football Expo in the country will be making a comeback, and looks to bring thousands to Canton. Fantasy Football Expo 2024 will be hosted on the Hall of Fame Village campus at the Center for Performance from August 9 to 11, 2024. This event, in its 5th year, takes place for a second time at the Village and brings together passionate fantasy football fans and top experts from around the country for 3 days of ultimate fantasy football fun.
Fantasy Football Expo 2024 has 3 days of experiences planned, uniting enthusiastic fans and leading experts nationwide. The weekend includes a blend of fantasy drafts, networking opportunities, and expert insights, bringing together seasoned veterans and newcomers to experience all things “fantasy football” under one roof.
“Hosting the Fantasy Football Expo 2024 fits perfectly within our Company’s model of bringing sports and entertainment together, especially with fantasy and the virtual experience being such integral parts of how fans engage with sports. We are thrilled to leverage our world-class venue to enhance and elevate this extraordinary event, considering the popularity of fantasy football and our mission to inspire and entertain guests,” Michael Crawford, President & CEO at Hall of Fame Village, said.
Bob Lung, Director of the Expo, said: “I’m incredibly thankful to work with Hall of Fame Village to bring the Expo back for another fantastic year. Hall of Fame Village offers an unparalleled backdrop for the event, providing the perfect setting for fantasy football enthusiasts to come together and celebrate their passion.”
Key highlights of the event include the introduction of Sports Betting Saturday, Presented by Underdog Fantasy, offering a unique opportunity to learn strategies and techniques to help enhance your experience in the sports betting world. Expert panels and workshops will be a focal point, delivering valuable insights and strategies from esteemed names in the sports betting and fantasy football industry. Sports Betting Saturday is committed to promoting responsible gaming practices and recognizing the importance of maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for all participants. With dedicated sessions led by experts and sports gaming representatives, attendees will gain comprehensive insights into responsible gaming measures, including strategies for setting limits, recognizing problem gambling behaviors, and accessing support resources.
Fantasy Sports
Underdog Invests in Critical Responsible Gaming Cross-Platform Technology
Underdog, the fastest-growing fantasy sports company ever, announced an investment in idPair by GuardDog, Underdog’s responsible gaming innovation fund. idPair’s proprietary technology creates a centralized view of an individual’s play and gambling activity across all applications and operators in a jurisdiction for regulators, providing for universal responsible gaming limits. In addition to an investment from the fund, idPair will have access to top advisors, mentors, and investors and will be prioritized for integration into Underdog’s product offerings.
“Most users play with more than one operator for their gaming activity. The opportunity we see with idPair is the ability to connect people and their play, and use those insights to inform enhanced responsible gaming initiatives. Operators can only focus on their individual platforms. We believe that the ability to partner with regulators using idPair’s technology will create opportunities for partnerships that advance safer play,” Adam Warrington, VP of responsible gaming at Underdog, said.
idPair is active in multiple jurisdictions, bridging information gaps by collaborating with legislators, regulators, and operators to detect and mitigate harm from high-risk gambling across platforms. Recognizing the crucial role of research to move the industry toward sustainability, idPair has also partnered with several major universities to facilitate the study of anonymized transactional data by experts in the field.
“We are thrilled about GuardDog’s investment and partnership with us. By leveraging their vast network and data, we can accelerate our mission to drive collaborative information sharing among operators and regulators, ultimately fostering a safer and more sustainable environment for all. Together, we look forward to making significant leaps in consumer protection and industry innovation,” Jonathan Aiwazian, CEO of idPair, said.
Fantasy Sports
Underdog Fantasy Partners with Sift to Prevent Fraud, Protect Users
Underdog Fantasy, the fast-growing sports gaming platform, announced a new partnership with Sift, the leader in Digital Trust & Safety, to protect users against fraud and streamline transactions.
Sift’s platform uses machine learning and a global data network of 1 trillion annual events to identify high-risk transactions in real time. Sift’s technology enables Underdog to prevent the use of stolen payment methods on its platform, reducing fraudulent chargebacks and false positives that create friction for legitimate players. With adoption from Underdog, Sift has cemented itself as the preferred fraud protection solution for daily fantasy and online gaming.
“Protecting our players through innovation is part of our DNA, and we’re thrilled to partner with Sift in this important mission. Sift’s industry expertise and innovative use of machine learning allow us to instantly identify and block emerging fraud threats without creating hurdles for our players. This partnership will help us further ensure our players can trust that Underdog will give them a fun, fair, and secure environment to increase their enjoyment of sports,” said Dustin Cooper, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Underdog Fantasy.
“With Sift’s deep and broad coverage in the online gaming industry, we have a unique level of visibility into different fraud patterns affecting the sector. Underdog Fantasy abides by a player-first mentality, and we’re confident our solution will help them do even more to protect their community without compromising a great user experience,” said Armen Najarian, Sift’s Chief Marketing Officer.
-
Latest News2 days ago
Xpoint Launches Groundbreaking New Capability to Reduce Geolocation Costs for Operators
-
Industry News7 days ago
Jennifer Shatley Joins ROGA as Executive Director
-
Canada7 days ago
GiG increases Ontario market presence, powering the launch of Casino Time
-
Latest News6 days ago
Odditt Appoints Elaine Milardo as its New Chief Technology Officer
-
Gambling in the USA7 days ago
Play’n GO announces expansion of BetMGM partnership with Pennsylvania launch
-
Latin America7 days ago
Betby Forges Strategic Partnership With Latam Powerhouse Cactus Gaming
-
Latest News7 days ago
AEG and Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel Announce 16th Year in Partnership, Shaping the Future of Sports and Live Entertainment Across Southern California
-
Latest News6 days ago
Broadcast Legend Mike Francesa Renews Exclusive Partnership with BetRivers