[UK/US] FanDuel, from UK-based social gaming company HubDub, has picked up its first major US newspaper partner.
A white-labeled version of the fantasy sports site is being used by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Philly.com to bring social gaming to the newspaper and, of course, generate much needed revenue. It’s a model that has already proved successful in the UK, says HubDub.
FanDuel, which focuses solely on US sports, offers a slightly different take on the traditional fantasy sports game model. Instead of games lasting the whole season, players play and win in as little as a day – think of it as “one-night stand” fantasy sports, says the company.
What’s more, there’s real money involved, so in that sense this isn’t far off from online betting, something that might normally fall foul of US law.
Not so in the case of FanDuel, which is exempt thanks to the fantasy sports carve out in the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act; as stated, the only difference is that FanDuel-powered fantasy sports games only last a day (for baseball) or a week (for football).
Clever, huh?
The upshot is that FanDuel and its partners can generate revenue from taking a commission – something that is in short supply for newspapers as they struggle with online.