PlayON Sports is partnering with the NBA to become the league’s official daily fantasy sports operator for international markets.
The deal is a major step forward for PlayON and something of a slap in the face to DFS giants DraftKings and FanDuel.
Under the terms of the deal, PlayON will be providing daily fantasy sports tournaments to players in regulated international markets. While any operators can already offer such services, PlayON will be authorized to use NBA logos and other promotional images in marketing its services.
PlayON will also be working with the NBA’s local partners in these markets. PlayON founder and CEO told Legal Sports Report that this is a major advantage for his company saying:
The NBA’s local partners have a strong presence in their respective markets and we are looking forward to working closely with each of them to build engagement with the localized daily fantasy NBA game.
The bigger question for anyone who watches the international daily fantasy sports market is why the NBA chose not to go with DraftKings or FanDuel, two of the biggest names in the industry. In all likelihood it’s because PlayON already has a very strong presence in the international markets this deal focuses on. PlayON is a well-established name in fantasy cricket and rugby and boasts large user bases across international daily fantasy sports markets.
It’s not particularly surprising to see the NBA take the lead in bringing US professional sports leagues to international daily fantasy sports markets. The NBA is, by far, the most friendly league to sports betting and it commissioner has frequently spoken out on the need to legalize sports betting in the United States.