DraftKings partners with NFL Players Association

The NFL Players Association has signed a group licensing deal with daily fantasy sports service DraftKings, which will be able to use players in advertisements.

The NFL Players Association has signed a group licensing deal with daily fantasy sports service DraftKings, which will allow the service to use players in advertisements, reports Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News. 

The move is a step forward for the NFL, which already has partnerships with daily fantasy sports companies. DraftKings and FanDuel have sponsorships with 28 NFL teams, worth around $6 to $7 million, according toForbes.

“The NFL season is one of the important times of the year for DraftKings and the DFS industry, so to be able to feature NFL players as part of our marketing efforts adds a level of excitement and connectivity to the game that is a huge win for us and our community,” DraftKings vice president of Business Development Jeremy Elbaum said to Forbes.

• NFL personnel can only win $250 playing daily fantasy games

In July, Re/code reported that DraftKings had recently raised $300 million in funding, much of that from Fox Sports. DraftKings in turn will spend $250 million on ads with Fox Sports over the next three years.

The extra $300 million in funds brought DraftKings’ total valuation to more than $1.2 billion. 

• DraftKings or FanDuel could cost NCAA athletes a year of eligibility