The NFL has signed new multi-year sports betting agreements with DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics Betting and Gaming ahead of the 2026 season.
DraftKings and FanDuel have held league betting partnerships since 2021, though a brief break in those arrangements began in March of this year.
The new deals replace the previous partnership structure involving Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel, which explicitly named all three as exclusive official sportsbook partners.
Caesars has not rejoined under the new framework, and no details were provided regarding its departure from the league’s betting partner roster.
DraftKings and FanDuel allegedly halted their renewals over a dispute related to the cost of streaming data, though those differences appear to have been resolved ahead of the new season.
Fanatics Betting and Gaming joins the group after expanding its existing relationship with the NFL, and will serve as an official online casino marketing partner of the league.
Unlike the previous arrangements, the new agreements are not described as exclusive, suggesting the NFL may still be open to adding further betting partnerships down the line.
Under the terms of the deals, operators will be permitted to use NFL marks for promotional purposes and will gain access to official play-by-play data, Next Gen Stats, and BetVision through Genius Sports.
The companies will also receive visibility across NFL digital properties and at major events including the Super Bowl and NFL Draft, along with hospitality and VIP opportunities.
Americans legally wagered an estimated $30bn on the 2025 NFL season according to the American Gaming Association, underlining the enormous commercial stakes attached to league betting partnerships.
DraftKings retains its role as the NFL’s official daily fantasy sports partner, keeping a key piece of its longstanding relationship with the league intact.
NFL EVP and chief revenue officer Renie Anderson commented on the partnerships, stating: “DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics share our vision for innovation and fan engagement, but most importantly, our commitment to protecting the integrity of the game. We look forward to navigating this next chapter in sports betting together.”
Each partner has agreed to the league’s core integrity policies, which include restrictions on bets involving officiating, injuries, and outcomes that may be known in advance.
Markets that could be manipulated by a single individual are also covered under those restrictions, a concern that has grown alongside the rapid expansion of player proposition betting.
Genius Sports monitors betting patterns in real time for signs of potential manipulation, while each NFL club maintains an integrity representative, typically a former FBI agent or senior law-enforcement official.
Players, coaches, officials, and staff are required to complete annual gambling policy training and formally acknowledge the league’s gambling policy each year.
The NFL stated it was the first professional sports league to launch a responsible betting campaign, doing so in 2021 alongside the National Council on Problem Gambling, and has since provided grants of $6.2m and $6.4m to the organisation.
The league’s current position on betting represents a significant shift from its earlier stance, as the NFL was among those that defended the federal sports betting prohibition before the Supreme Court’s landmark 2018 PASPA ruling.
Commissioner Roger Goodell indicated last December that the league was not preparing to enter the prediction markets category, citing unresolved legal challenges surrounding those platforms.
The NFL’s gambling policy also bars players and league staff from trading football-related contracts on platforms that “mimic sports betting,” with prediction markets treated as prohibited activity for all personnel.
