DraftKings, FanDuel to suspend contests on college sports
DraftKings and FanDuel will suspend contests on college sports indefinitely in all states as part of an agreement with the NCAA, according to David Payne Purdum of ESPN.com.
DraftKings and FanDuel made a voluntary decision after discussing plans with the NCAA, member institutions and various state legislatures. The NCAA previously ruled that the daily fantasy sports companies would not be able to advertise during college championship contests like the NCAA tournament.
All contests will end after this weekend’s college basketball action, as the NCAA tournament’s Final Four will begin Saturday. The championship game will be held Monday.
“We appreciate and commend Draft Kings and FanDuel’s action to stop offering contests involving college, high school and youth sports,” the NCAA said in a statement. “This action culminates months of hard work between all parties to reach a place that is good for amateur sports and most importantly, the young people who participate. We will work diligently with our member schools over the coming year to ensure such amateur sports ‘carve outs’ are included in pending states’ legislation.”
FanDuel issued the following statement to ESPN:
“FanDuel has had months of productive conversations with the NCAA, their member institutions and various state legislators to better understand their concerns around fantasy sports contests based on amateur athletics. It is clear that this is an issue that matters to a variety of constituencies and we feel that the best path forward is to suspend offering these contests pending resolution on the issue within state legislatures.”
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DraftKings also issued the following comment:
“We continue to see tremendous support for fantasy sports in legislatures across the country, with nearly 30 states advancing thoughtful and appropriate regulations for fantasy play,” DraftKings said in a statement. “[W]e will work closely with the NCAA and lawmakers on a carve-out for collegiate sports in any proposed regulatory framework moving forward. DraftKings is committed to ensuring that fantasy sports players are able to continue to play these skill-based contests that bring them closer to the sports that they love.”
