According to documents that were not redacted, the New York State registry revealed that FanDuel Group had lobbied for rules prohibiting advertising sports gambling near colleges and Universities in the State.
In October, New York introduced updated rules for sports betting. The New York State registrar listened to the opinions of various licensees including FanDuel, owned by Flutter Entertainment.
Now, the ban on gambling ads near educational establishments has been implemented. Documents from the state registry show FanDuel’s opposition.
The document, dated 18 October, stated that FanDuel is opposed to the ban of advertisements in “areas near a university or college campus”. The document states that this could be read to include “unaffiliated commercial and residential areas bordering a campus or college”.
The New York State Gaming Commission was not in agreement. Ads placed near colleges or universities may be considered as “objectionable” marketing efforts, according to the regulator. The regulator said that by prohibiting these ads, it would prevent the “predatory marketing” of underage people.
FanDuel opposes other New York advertising laws
FanDuel was not only interested in this proposed rule. FanDuel also spoke against other proposed measures in October.
FanDuel called to remove a requirement for compulsive-play-assistance messaging in ads. FanDuel said that such messaging should be restricted to its website, as it would “take up too much space” in ads. It also claimed that any changes in New York will also require it to change its marketing efforts in other states.
The Commission responded by saying that such a provision is “not in conflict” with the state laws. The Commission also stated that ads for gambling in New York should be “regulated appropriately”.
FanDuel has also spoken out against a proposed measure which would hold operators directly liable for any “false or deceptive” claims made in the marketing of their service.
The Commission has defended this position. The Commission said operators must be willing and able to “appropriately control” affiliates who promote their offerings.
Argument over website keywords dismissed
FanDuel also prohibited the use of certain keywords which could be used to attract gamblers with gambling problems.
FanDuel stated that such a restriction would be “impractical to enforce” and be similar to liquor stores being prohibited from advertising to those who are alcoholics. Operators called for this measure to be lifted or limited to problem gamblers who are “well-known”.
The Commission again disagreed and said that licensees can take measures to reduce the risks by removing certain words. The Commission gave an example, not including words such as “problem gaming help” or similar phrases in keywords on websites that could cause people seeking help to visit betting sites.
The Commission stated that the proposed regulations would prevent such misleading behavior by licensees. The Commission said that limiting the regulation to only “known” problem gambling gamblers was not the best way to address this issue.
FanDuel also has a problem with fantasy sports
Another argument was centered on the classification of daily fantasy sports as sports betting. In order to achieve this, the Commission wanted to hold operators liable if they allowed prohibited people to participate in their contests.
FanDuel was not happy about this but the Commission refused to budge. According to the regulator, it’s “appropriate” that licensees take full responsibility. The Commission said that it will also evaluate each case on an individual basis before deciding on any possible penalties.
A third area of concern was having an independent laboratory certify the platform performance is in accordance with standards. FanDuel was against the measure, but the Commission said it’s necessary to maintain public trust in the integrity the system.
In addition, FanDuel suggested eliminating anti-money-laundering requirements entirely or for an annual compliance statement. The Commission, however, rejected FanDuel’s appeal.
FanDuel is the leader of New York’s market
FanDuel, the online sports betting leader in New York State, has published the document.
FanDuel had the largest handle and total revenue for November. FanDuel took in $923.4m of online bets, and generated $69.2m revenue.
New York processed an unprecedented number of bets online in November. In November, consumers bet $2.11bn on online sports. This was the most ever wagered in a US state for a month.
The online revenue reached $150.9m for the month. The total revenue for the month was $150.9m, which is 9.3% less than October’s record of $166.3m.
