Associated Press Will Exclusviley Use FanDuel Betting Odds
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The Associated Press is one of the most widely respected independent news organizations in the entire world. It has been operating for nearly two centuries now and is used in most major nations. With that in mind, FanDuel has entered a partnership with the Associated Press. For now, it seems that the terms of the deal only revolve around displaying odds. FanDuel is paying an undisclosed amount of money to be the only betting odds displayed on Associated Press’s articles.
With such a massive reach and high regard, it makes sense that FanDuel would want to associate itself with the Associated Press. In quotes provided by Variety.com, the Global Director of New Market Products for AP, Barry Bedlan, said, “As sports betting becomes more commonplace, our customers are increasingly asking for this kind of information… It makes sense to work with one of the largest, reputable sportsbooks in the United States to provide a consistent, credible reference point for AP and its customers.”
Where You Will Find FanDuel Odds on AP
Currently, the Associated Press has some dedicated sports pages, which include game previews and general stories about sports. Both of these will exclusively use FanDuel for any kind of odds listed. There are also betting-focused odds features in which FanDuel will be the only supplier of odds on the page.
Concerns Over Exclusivity
For some, this news came as a surprise or was seen as unusual. They may be worried that the Associated Press will now be influenced on its coverage by this deal with FanDuel. In the announcement, it was stated that AP will continue to have full editorial control of all betting content, and the only thing this affects is which odds are used when talking about sports.
This is a partnership that will be mutually beneficial for FanDuel and AP. However, there does seem to be one downside for AP. That will be the fact that it cannot offer odds comparisons between the major sportsbooks. This seems like something that an independent news organization would want to offer, especially if it was stepping into the sports betting world—not being able to provide readers with a comparison in pricing seems like a big deal.
However, as stated by Barry Bedlan, there is merit in using the same company’s odds across all your articles. This gives you a single reference point when comparing different matchups. Making sure all writers and editors have this one sportsbook as a reference will be good in this sense of comparison.
FanDuel in the News
FanDuel has been in the news a lot as of recently. This is because the company is looking to have its IPO. However, in the midst of going public, the CEO, Matt King, decided to resign. This caused FanDuel’s parent company’s stock, Flutter Entertainment, to drop.
This announcement of an agreement with such a renowned news organization, alongside the imminent launch of sports betting in Maryland and Arizona, should begin to offset the negative press the company has faced as of late.