NFL Commissioner Goodell taking a guarded approach on daily fantasy sites

The recent developments on the major daily fantasy sites has authorities from the Federal to the state level calling for investigations into their practices. But one of the main benefactors of DFS, the National Football League is not one of them.

As you’re quite aware, fantasy has been one of the main reasons as to why the popularity of the NFL has exploded within the past ten years. And the rise of FanDuel and DraftKings have added to that popularity. With daily fantasy becoming a huge industry, leagues have forged partnerships hoping to get a piece of the pie.

Despite looking like gambling, the NFL has drawn the distinction that fantasy is a game of skill, not a game of chance. Plus states have not outlawed or cast a negative eye on fantasy until now so the NFL has welcomed season-long and now daily fantasy into its realm.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, NFL Commish Roger Goodell brought up the word “integrity” in regards to DraftKings and FanDuel without directly mentioning them. And he said he wanted to ensure that fans are “protected” and daily fantasy sites do business the right way and not fall into traps.

“The first thing we do is protect the integrity of the game, as I just mentioned. Fantasy football — and I draw a distinction on this, season-long fantasy and daily fantasy — because season-long fantasy has been around for quite a while. … States are the ones that make the determinations about whether something is legal or not legal. We follow the law, and we will do that.

“We feel a cautious approach is the right way. But we’re protecting our game. And daily fantasy, it’s hard to see the influence it can have on the outcome of a game because individual players are picking different players from different teams, mashing them up … it’s not based on the outcome of the games, which is our biggest concern, so our position continues to be that way.”

So the NFL doesn’t think daily fantasy can influence the outcome of a game and there’s no evidence that it has. But at the same time, with increased scrutiny on daily fantasy, we’ll see if the bubble on the industry bursts or will continue to grow despite the expanded attention.

[NFL.com]