The rise of Online U.S. Sportsbook FanDuel
FanDuel is one of the leading fantasy sports operators in the United States and one that accepts players from all over the world. The success of the company can be explained by the fact that in the US, sports betting is not legal in most states. This has pushed enthusiastic punters to the brink and they had to choose between playing at unlicensed operators and settling for fantasy sports. Initially, it was the likes of FanDuel and DraftKings that rose to the occasion and provided players with access to fantasy sports.
A smooth transition to online betting
FanDuel have a lot of experience in this line of work and in spite of trailing its main rival, it never lacked the support of fantasy sports enthusiasts. They were keen on expanding the activity and found it worthwhile to make the transition to traditional sports betting when opportunity presented itself. For the time being, there are still plenty of states where sports betting is prohibited but the wheels are slowly turning. FanDuel is well-positioned to make this switch and already provides a safe betting environment.
Nigel Eccles, Lesley Eccles, Tom Griffiths, Rob Jones and Chris Stafford were the five guys that founded the company back in 2009 and since then, it grew a lot. Looking back at its tradition, it’s impossible not to notice the meteoric rise for what was supposed to be an offshoot of a prediction site. Their first competitions were held in 2010, with tens of thousands of dollars in prizes, while today the company is valued at billions of dollars.
An important milestone for the company was set in 2015, when it made the first steps towards the sports betting expansion. In order to fulfill their new goals, they had to recruit new talent and found precisely the specialist needed at Zynga 365 sports. The epic rivalry with DraftKings could’ve ended in 2017, when the Federal Trade Commission blocked a proposed merger.
A new chapter with Paddy Power Betfair
Paddy Power Betfair is a huge gambling company that was created from the merger of the two bookmakers and casino operators. In 2018, they decided that it is worth investing in one of the leading North American fantasy platforms and acquired FanDuel. The timing was right because that’s when the Supreme Court decided that the PASPA was unconstitutional, hence giving the power back to the states.
The rise of the online betting company FanDuel began that year, with the first bookmaker operating under their brand opening shop in 2019. It all began with the New Jersey sports book, but quickly expanded beyond borders and now they offer sports betting services in West Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As more states contemplate the possibility of legalizing sports betting, the company will further expand its reach to serve even more punters.