BOSTON (AP) – Daily fantasy sports companies say their industry remains viable despite a rocky start to 2016.
The industry’s top companies, DraftKings and FanDuel, are on the defensive after taking hits to their businesses in recent weeks as scrutiny by state policymakers across the country continues to intensify.
This week, it was disclosed that ESPN and DraftKings ended an exclusive advertising deal and FanDuel confirmed Wednesday it had laid off 55 workers in its Orlando, Florida office.
ESPN and DraftKings declined to comment on the end of their partnership, which was announced last June and made DraftKings the network’s official daily fantasy sports offering. But DraftKings spokeswoman Sabrina Macias says the company isn’t retrenching.
“Our business position is strong and we have no intention to scale back any operations,” she said, pointing to the company’s official launch in the United Kingdom last week. “We’re continuing to innovate and learn.”