FanDuel one step closer to bringing branded sportsbook to Las Vegas
US online market leader receives green light from Nevada regulators to move forward with Boyd-partnered project pending license approval
FanDuel is one step closer to bringing a branded retail sportsbook to downtown Las Vegas after being recommended for license approval by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB).
The project would allow the US online market leader, through its partnership with Boyd Gaming, to debut the FanDuel Sportsbook brand in Nevada at Boyd’s Fremont Hotel and Casino property.
Pending final approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) at its upcoming meeting on August 25, FanDuel and Boyd will get the green light to officially move forward with the revamping and rebranding of the Fremont retail sportsbook.
While the renovated 76-seat state-of-the-art venue would feature FanDuel’s branding, wagering via its four betting windows and seven kiosks would be run by Boyd, which uses the IGT platform. IGT is also one of FanDuel’s technology partners.
The project represents an extension of a longstanding partnership between FanDuel and Boyd, as Boyd has a 5% stake in FanDuel and provides market access for FanDuel to operate both online and retail operations across 13 states.
The pending arrangement, conversely, is strictly a branding play for FanDuel, which is attempting to make an initial foray back into the Nevada market after receiving a cease-and-desist order from the NGCB in 2015 for offering daily fantasy sports (DFS) without a license.
FanDuel representatives, including CEO Amy Howe, addressed questions from the NGCB in a recent hearing, with the primary concern surrounding potential conflation of the two brands; the point being that consumers may have the false impression that FanDuel, and not Boyd, is the sports betting operator.
For her part, Howe didn’t believe the distinction would pose an issue.
“We’ve been co-branding sportsbooks since we started operating, but we understand our brand is on that sportsbook,” Howe said. “I don’t have concerns around situations like this where a company is licensing a brand.
“What’s important is to make sure we deliver a high-integrity and positive experience to the consumer; otherwise, it reflects poorly on our brand. I don’t have any concerns about misleading customers because the FanDuel brand is on this.”
If approved, the initiative will mark another victory for FanDuel in its ongoing competition with DraftKings for US supremacy, which has ceded market share to its rival throughout 2022 and has yet to make any inroads in Nevada despite continuing to expand its employee presence in the state.