13-April-2010

Monday, Editor & Publisher magazine reported that The Philadelphia Inquirer has partnered with U.K. online betting company FanDuel to launch Philly.com Instant Fantasy Sports Games. The new Web site, a FanDuel.com subdomain, will allow users to create and bet on fantasy sports teams.

Editor & Publisher heralded the move as an answer to the revenue problems that have plagued newspapers in recent years. Philly.com’s new site, Editor and Publisher added, takes advantage of a loophole in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which permits online gambling on fantasy sports teams.

Instant Fantasy Sports Games users can create Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League teams. Each user then pays a $5 to $50 entry fee per game for a chance to win between $9 and $90.

Unlike traditional fantasy sports teams, those made on Instant Fantasy Sports Games only last a day. According to Philly.com, this allows players to “start and stop when (they) want.”

In a press release, FanDuel said Philly.com’s new business model has already proved itself in the U.K., where several British newspapers are members of the operator’s affiliate program. The online fantasy-sports book added that some British players have won as much as $16,000 in one month.

A portion of each entry fee, FanDuel said, goes toward the game’s prize pool; the rest the operator splits with the affiliate that referred the player. According to FanDuel’s homepage, affiliates like Philly.com receive up to 75 percent of each entry fee.

By: Phill Provance
phill.provance@acehoyle.com

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