FanDuel announced on Monday two significant appointments to its public policy team.
The NFL’s Jonathan Nabavi and Columbia University’s Shailagh Murray were appointed to senior positions on the public and federal affairs teams.
Key Takeaways
- Nabavi and Murray were both vice presidents at their previous organizations.
- FanDuel’s hold on the sports betting market could shift if prediction platforms are allowed to offer sports contracts.
- California last week declared DFS platforms such as FanDuel illegal.
Nabavi last served as the NFL’s vice president of public policy and legislative affairs. He will now assume the role of vice president of federal affairs at FanDuel.
Murray, formerly the executive vice president of public affairs at Columbia, will serve as FanDuel’s senior vice president of public affairs.
The appointments come during a time of rapid change to the nation’s sports betting landscape. FanDuel president Christian Genetski said that the hazy political future played a major role in the company’s decision to bring in these new experts.
“As we look to the future, we understand the important role FanDuel must play in policy discussions that will address how we build and shape the online gaming industry over the long term,” said Genetski. “Shailagh and Jon bring decades of experience navigating difficult policy issues in a thoughtful, collaborative manner.
“We are confident they are the right leaders to work alongside key stakeholders to grow our industry responsibly and sustainably.”
Constant changes
Sports betting was only legalized federally in 2018. Thirty-eight states now have legal and operational sports betting markets, though the future remains unclear.
Prediction platforms such as Kalshi have emerged as potential alternatives to sportsbooks thanks to their sports prediction contracts, while increased tax rates at the state level led to FanDuel becoming the first major sportsbook to institute a per-bet surcharge of $.50 in Illinois.
President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill that was signed on Friday also contained sections that would greatly reshape the sports betting market.
Under the bill, only 90% instead of the previous 100% of gambling losses would be able to be deducted from taxes. That change prompted concerns from many in the casino and sports betting industries who fear that gambling will quickly fade due to the improbability of long-term profitability.
California declares DFS platforms illegal
Elsewhere in the country, California Attorney General Rob Bonta last week declared that daily fantasy sports contests are illegal under state law. That created additional challenges for FanDuel which, along with DraftKings and Underdog, had a large presence in California due to the lack of legal sports betting outlets.
Roughly $200 million in annual entry fees are submitted in California DFS contests. Because the state didn’t license these platforms, that meant a larger hold and more revenue for operators.
