FANDUEL GROUP AND WNBA ANNOUNCE MULTIYEAR PARTNERSHIP RENEWAL

– FanDuel Becomes an Official Sportsbook Partner of the WNBA –
– FanDuel TV to Have Rights to Air WNBA Highlights –

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and FanDuel announced a multiyear partnership extension today, making FanDuel an Official Sportsbook Partner and Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the WNBA. The extension arrives five years after FanDuel initially partnered with the WNBA, which marked the company's first partnership with a women's professional sports league and the first major fantasy operator to launch a WNBA game.

As part of the multiyear agreement, FanDuel becomes an Official Sportsbook Partner and continues to be an Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the WNBA, operating the Official Daily Fantasy Game of the WNBA. FanDuel will have the ability to leverage WNBA marks across its gaming platforms, as well as activate around retail and online sports betting. The company will also engage with fans through WNBA themed free-to-play games. In future seasons, FanDuel betting odds will also be featured on WNBA digital channels on select pages. In addition, FanDuel and the WNBA will collaborate on responsible gaming and best-in-class practices to protect the integrity of WNBA games.

"FanDuel has made a concerted effort to support sports equity," said Amy Howe, CEO of FanDuel Group. "We are tangibly acting to elevate female athletes and one important way to do that is growing strategic partnerships with an organization that is the true pioneer in the space – the WNBA. This new deal allows FanDuel to build and promote a true sports ecosystem around women's professional basketball including highlights now on FanDuel TV." 

FanDuel will have a series of content integrations including highlights accessible within its sportsbook and fantasy sports platforms next season. The company will also have access to footage rights on FanDuel's owned and produced content across its various platforms including the company's recently announced television network, FanDuel TV and its new OTT network FanDuel+.

"We continue to see increased interest from a broadening fanbase in the WNBA. Fans are seeking more ways to engage with our game, and FanDuel has been a great partner in growing their offering to meet that demand, as shown by our partnership renewal," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. "In the seasons ahead, we look forward to building on this strong partnership and working with FanDuel to introduce increased offerings as part of our focus on new and innovative ways to drive fan engagement and enhance the fan experience." 

The WNBA has become a summer staple for FanDuel sports betting and has drawn significant interest over the summer months this year at the company's retail locations across the country. FanDuel has seen increases of 270% in bet count and 101% in handle year over year for WNBA betting across all FanDuel Sportsbook retail locations.

The FanDuel Sportsbook operates a retail or online sportsbook in the following states: Arizona, Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

FanDuel Group is an innovative sports-tech entertainment company that is changing the way consumers engage with their favorite sports, teams, and leagues. The premier gaming destination in the United States, FanDuel Group consists of a portfolio of leading brands across gaming, sports betting, daily fantasy sports, advance-deposit wagering, and TV/media. FanDuel Group has a presence across all 50 states with approximately 17 million customers. The company is based in New York with offices in California, New Jersey, Florida, Oregon, Georgia and Scotland. FanDuel Group is a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment plc, the world's largest sports betting and gaming operator with a portfolio of globally recognized brands and a constituent of the FTSE 100 index of the London Stock Exchange.

As the #1 mobile gaming operator, FanDuel believes it is critical to lead from the front on responsible gaming (RG). Every employee maintains a commitment to protecting our customers as we build an iconic sports brand that people trust. We have built an industry leading RG approach, including a more than 100-person team of full-time Compliance and RG professionals focused on strengthening our product across technology, marketing, product development and data/analytics. Finally, all FanDuel mobile products have in-app tools that allow customers to set time, deposit, and wager limits. Our Play Well website offers customers a central location to find support services, information on our RG tools and more details on our beliefs and approach to RG.

The WNBA, which tipped off the 2022 postseason on August 17, is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.

In 2020, the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women's basketball – and women's sports overall – with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league's partnership platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&T, the WNBA's Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and NIKE, Inc, and subsequent additions Google and U.S. Bank. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.

For more information, visit WNBA.com.

Media Contacts
Kevin Hennessy, FanDuel Group, [email protected]
Mike Wade, WNBA, [email protected]

SOURCE FanDuel Group