The Stakes

FanDuel is the leading daily fantasy sports provider with the sole mission of making sports more exciting. Founded in 2009, FanDuel has redefined fantasy sports, offering a multitude of one-day game options for NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. Fantasy sports has rapidly become an enormous industry and continues to grow. The fantasy sports market size is expected to grow by $6.1 billion from 2021 to 2026.

The Process

Tusk actively led FanDuel’s efforts to pass consumer protection legislation in 45 states which would formally legalize the product and create a path to exit. Tusk began working for FanDuel in October 2015 and we were able to successfully pass legislation in 16 states. To support the legislative strategy, Tusk led an industry-wide mobilization effort to galvanize support among committed fantasy sports players and partners in response to regulatory interference and efforts to curtail the company’s growth. Tusk helped develop and direct strategy to manage and navigate FanDuel’s media, customer, investor, partner and regulatory issues regarding the company itself as well as the fantasy sports gaming industry as a whole. Additionally, Tusk directed efforts to enforce internal controls and safeguards. Tusk led the formation of FanDuel’s Advisory Board, led by former U.S. Attorney Mike Garcia, to validate the integrity of FanDuel’s platform and provide ongoing compliance recommendations.

The Conclusion

Tusk helped FanDuel pass legislation in over 16 states and started to plant the seed for many other states moving forward. One of the biggest victories was passing legislation in New York State, which was in direct opposition with the opinion of the New York Attorney General, who briefly shut down daily fantasy sports sites categorizing it as illegal gambling. The NY legislation was a big win for FanDuel as one of the country’s largest markets for sports fans and paved the way for similar legislation in other states that ban daily fantasy sports.