Anaheim Ducks Reach 4-Year Daily Fantasy Sports Deal

Daily fantasy sports operator Draft Ops has signed a 4-year sponsorship agreement with the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks.  The deal establishes Draft Ops as the exclusive sponsor of the Ducks for the team's fantasy-related category and includes the branding of an outdoor bar area that will allow Draft Ops brand ambassadors to interact with Ducks fans and educate them on the Draft Ops daily fantasy platform.  It further includes assets such as dasher boards, giveaway night promotions, social media obligations, fan experiences and LED promotions on the Ducks' jumbotron at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

"We saw this as a strategic move into the Southern California marketplace, allowing us to gain exposure without restrictions at Staples Center that would have limited our use," explained a Draft Ops representative.  "We were actively and aggressively involved in the [Los Angeles] Lakers bidding process early on, but restrictions on the arena caused concern, preventing us from setting forth a clearly superior offer to win the bid.  Instead, limitations will be imposed on FanDuel's use, who will continue with the Lakers asset.  The restrictions arise from AEG's ownership of the arena, which allows its partner DraftKings to prevent fan activation in the arena, entrance pavilions and LA Live areas."

The statement from Draft Ops demonstrates the value that the operator put on the Southern California marketplace.  It also provides a bit of insight on negotiations concerning the Lakers, which are expected to conclude in the near future.  However, reading between the lines, Draft Ops' statement also seems to indicate that FanDuel has locked up the Lakers for at least another year.  FanDuel has not yet confirmed same.

FanDuel announced a 1-year partnership with the Lakers at the end of 2014, which was effective for the 2014-15 National Basketball Association season.  The franchise has been actively searching for a new deal surrounding the 2015-16 NBA season.  At one point in time, Draft Ops was in the race to take over that sponsorship.  Now, it appears to be a battle between FanDuel and its chief rival DraftKings, which signed a 3-year marketing partnership with Staples Center in July.  Unless, of course, FanDuel has already locked up a deal with the Lakers, as suggested by Draft Ops' statement.

With the signing of the Ducks, Draft Ops has its second NHL team under contract .  Earlier this year, Draft Ops signed a 3-year, 7-figure deal with Barclays Center, which includes sponsorship of the New York Islanders.  It is slowly taking market share away from DraftKings, which has a multi-year partnership with the NHL, is considered the Official Daily Fantasy Game of the league and recently received an investment from the NHL as part of a new round of $300 million in funding.  DraftKings also has deals in place with multiple individual NHL teams, including the New York Rangers.

Draft Ops does not seem concerned by FanDuel's and DraftKings' early lead in the race to gather sports-related sponsorships.  The Ducks are the latest team to sign with Draft Ops, but certainly not the last.  Expect more announcements from the burgeoning daily fantasy sports operator in the near future.

Darren Heitner is a lawyer and the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C., which has a focus on Sports Law and Entertainment Law.

Follow @DarrenHeitner