WNBA to partner with daily fantasy company; MGM launches sports betting app in Nevada

Twice weekly, we’ll comb through as many articles, tweets and podcasts as we can find related to the world of sports betting and daily fantasy sports, and publish the good stuff here. 

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The WNBA is partnering with FanDuel to offer daily fantasy sports contests for the professional women’s basketball league.

The league announced a partnership with FanDuel on Thursday — the first time a women’s professional sports league will be available in one-day fantasy games.

“We are constantly looking to innovate by finding new opportunities to engage with our passionate fans and introduce the WNBA to wider audiences,” WNBA President Lisa Borders said. “This partnership with FanDuel and our new one-day fantasy game will be a fresh, unique way for fans to further connect with their favorite WNBA players and teams throughout our season.”

FanDuel will be offering free WNBA contests in which participants can win courtside tickets and merchandise among other things. The NBA in 2014 became the first major pro league to partner with FanDuel.

The site will also have its normal offerings of daily fantasy contests in which people can win money by picking a lineup of WNBA players and pitting them against other players. The WNBA is hoping this new venture brings more fans to the league, which starts its 21st season this weekend.


MGM launched their sports betting mobile app in Nevada last week.

Like most Nevada sports books with mobile solutions, MGM allows registered playMGM users to deposit and withdraw cash at any of its 10 MGM Resorts Race & Sports Books along the Las Vegas Strip.

But with playMGM, there is also a second way to deposit and withdraw from a sports betting account. The software allows customers to sign up for a playMGM pre-paid card in the app itself. By using this feature, players can fund and withdraw money from their playMGM accounts from anywhere in the world.

This means that visitors who placed bets while in Nevada can collect on winning bets without making a return trip to Las Vegas or having to mail in winning tickets. This also saves locals from having to take a trip to the Las Vegas Strip to collect winnings.


A new study released by the American Gaming Association shows that 6 out of 10 Americans think that sports betting is legal outside of Nevada.

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research found that just 38 percent of respondents “recognize that it is not legal in most of the nation.” A 1992 federal law limits traditional sports betting to the Silver State (Delaware has limited sports betting in the form of parlays). The AGA is pushing for that antiquated law to be replaced or repealed, as there are now Las Vegas-style casinos in about 80 percent of states.

The study also found that a 55 percent majority of Americans support legalization. Only 35 percent oppose. Ten percent are undecided on the issue.

The breakdown is even better for the millennial generation, which the casino industry is trying hard to attract as the baby boomers age. Millennials support a nationwide sports betting framework by a 61-30 margin. Just 41 percent of seniors support sports betting.


As of now, the New England Patriots are favored in each of their games next season.

The Patriots are favored by an average of 6.5 points per game next season, with the largest spread 12.5 points at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. New England is only a 1.5-point favorite in Week 11 against the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City and Week 15 at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On the other end of the NFL hierarchy, the Cleveland Browns aren’t favored in any game and are only a pick-em once (Week 5 at home versus the Jets). Cleveland is an underdog of 6 points per game on average, and a touchdown-or-worse underdog in nine of 15 games.