The NFL has named DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics its official sports betting partners, lifting Fanatics to parity with the market leaders while Caesars leaves the line-up.
The National Football League (NFL) announced on August 27, 2026 that it has signed multi-year sports betting partnerships with DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Betting and Gaming. The trio replaces a lapsed three-way deal in which Caesars, not Fanatics, held the third seat. Financial terms were not disclosed. For fans, the result is NFL-branded marketing from three operators through the Super Bowl — and a conspicuous gap where prediction markets sit.
Key Facts:
• The NFL confirmed three official sports betting partners on August 27, 2026: DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Betting and Gaming — SBC Americas
• DraftKings and FanDuel have held the designation since 2021; their previous deals expired after the 2025 season — SBC Americas
• Caesars, part of the earlier tri-exclusive arrangement, reportedly did not pursue a renewal — SBC Americas
• Legal wagering on the NFL reached an estimated $30 billion in the 2025 season, up 8.5% from $27.6 billion — American Gaming Association
What did the NFL actually sign?
These are marketing and data agreements, not revenue-share arrangements. All three operators gain the right to use NFL marks within the sports betting category, advertise during games, take a presence at the Super Bowl and NFL Draft, and integrate across NFL-owned digital media. Each also gets the league’s official real-time statistics, its proprietary Next Gen Stats and the BetVision streaming product, distributed through Genius Sports, the NFL’s exclusive data partner.
The casino element is Fanatics-only. It becomes an Official Online Casino Marketing Partner of the NFL, meaning its casino app — live in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia — can carry league marks. Neither DraftKings nor FanDuel secured that designation.
Why Caesars is the name missing from the list
The previous tri-exclusive arrangement paired the league with DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars. Reporting at the time suggested a rise in the cost of Genius Sports data was a sticking point, though no party has confirmed that. Caesars, according to SBC Americas, opted not to pursue a new league partnership.
“We are thrilled to have three world-class partners in the sports betting category,” said Renie Anderson, EVP and Chief Revenue Officer at the NFL. “DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics share our vision for innovation and fan engagement, but most importantly, our commitment to protecting the integrity of the game.” (SBC Americas)
“This deal underscores our vision for Fanatics as a true digital sports platform — a single destination where fans can bet, play and engage with the NFL all in one place,” said Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming.
The prediction-markets gap at the centre of the deal
Here is the tension. The three partnerships explicitly do not cover the operators’ prediction market products. Anderson told ESPN that working with prediction markets is “not a space that we’re considering right now commercially”, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in December 2025 that “the risk to the brand is something that we take very seriously”.
That leaves the NFL alone among the major leagues. The NHL and MLB each hold agreements with Polymarket, the NHL has added Kalshi, and Kalshi signed branding deals with five MLB clubs on August 25, 2026. It is a curious posture for DraftKings and FanDuel, which left the American Gaming Association over prediction markets in July 2026 while building event-contract products of their own. They have taken the league’s marks for the regulated sportsbook and left the contested business outside the tent.
What does it change for fans?
All three operators agreed to the league’s core integrity policies, refusing wagers the NFL finds objectionable: markets tied to officiating decisions or player injuries. That is the framework under which the league suspended an Arizona Cardinals executive in July 2026. The consumer-protection question is whether three partners advertising under NFL marks makes league-branded promotion harder to separate from editorial coverage, and the responsible gambling commitments carry no published figure or measurable target.
FAQ
Q: Is this a new deal or a renewal?
A: Both. Fanatics is new; the DraftKings and FanDuel designations date to 2021 and had expired.
Q: How much are the deals worth?
A: Unknown. All parties declined to disclose financial terms or contract lengths beyond confirming the deals are multi-year.
Q: Does the NFL now have a prediction markets partner?
A: No. Anderson told ESPN prediction markets are not a space the league is considering commercially, and these deals exclude those products.
This article is informational analysis only and is not betting advice.
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