The ever-growing phenomenon that is fantasy sports appears to have hit a massive hurdle following revelations that an employee of one of America’s two biggest fantasy sports sites used inside information to win big playing on its rival.
Only last month, WGM took a look at the potential impact fantasy sports might have on the world of online gaming in an article called “Fantasy sports: the unlikely online game changer.”
But that impact has been thrown into turmoil by these latest revelations involving market leaders DraftKings and FanDuel. The New York Attorney General’s office is demanding a range of internal data including player records as well as algorithms in relation to how athletes are priced and scored.
Fantasy sports involves players picking a team of players that fit into certain criteria, then competing against other players with their team assigned points based on the achievements of their chosen athletes during the weekend’s games. The USA’s big four sports – the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB – are the main leagues involved.
This latest news now brings the fairness and integrity of these fantasy sports, which remain unregulated, into question. Sadly, it could also prove a huge setback when it comes to improving the regulation and open provision of other online gaming including online poker.
WGM is in the process of arranging an in-depth interview with the management of either DraftKings or FanDuel which we hope to confirm in the coming weeks.
