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SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Okay, so this is a really intriguing story, I would say,
00:07 with sports betting not being legal in California
00:10 and no progress being had as far as getting it legal.
00:15 FanDuel, Mike, tell us more about this,
00:17 talking to the tribes in California,
00:20 almost seemingly giving up on the idea
00:23 that they can't get this done without a partnership here.
00:28 And so I wonder, will the tribes get together with FanDuel?
00:33 Maybe FanDuel becomes exclusive operator in California?
00:35 I mean, I'm just making it up, I'm just guessing here,
00:38 but I found this story fascinating.
00:40 - Yeah, I agree, Craig.
00:42 And it comes down to, FanDuel, a year ago in San Diego,
00:47 a couple of the tribes said,
00:48 you know, we invited FanDuel DraftKings
00:49 to speak at our conference,
00:51 kind of take the hit, so to speak.
00:52 And last year, they didn't seem to want to.
00:54 FanDuel said it had a scheduling conflict.
00:55 So for this to come a year later after 2024,
00:58 nothing's really gonna happen.
00:59 I think speaks volumes about what FanDuel's trying to do.
01:02 They've hired three tribal executives with experience,
01:05 another key hire today, a really significant hire.
01:08 So yeah, they seem to want to move this,
01:09 not only in California, Craig,
01:10 but maybe in other states, like you said.
01:12 Maybe it's Florida, right?
01:13 How do we get in business with Hard Rock,
01:15 given they have the monopoly?
01:16 Can we find a pathway there?
01:17 You know, can we do anything in Oklahoma, Texas?
01:20 You know, tribes aren't maybe as powerful in Texas,
01:22 but another state they obviously
01:23 want to open the marketplace up to.
01:25 So this is a really good step, you know,
01:27 for both sides, I think, given the animosity
01:30 after the Prop 27 fight and how bad relations were.
01:34 So for FanDuel to try to make amends,
01:35 and as Christian Janeski said,
01:36 this is just one step in trying to earn trust.
01:39 I think you really have to respect what FanDuel's doing here
01:41 in terms of at least trying to make amends,
01:43 take the next step, not repeat the past failures.
01:46 And you know, whether it's California
01:48 or these other states, right,
01:49 that they're trying to get done
01:50 or trying to find a pathway into Florida,
01:52 all these key tribal hires,
01:53 whether they're from California
01:55 or, you know, the National Indian Gaming Association,
01:59 this is all really significant stuff.
02:02 And so credit to Christian Janeski
02:04 for getting up there, taking the hit, so to speak.
02:06 I think the ribbing he got was a little more good natured
02:08 than maybe it would have been last year
02:09 when tensions were really high.
02:12 But you know, you hope that the tribes,
02:14 the commercial operators, excuse me, learn their lesson,
02:16 not only FanDuel, but potentially other operators.
02:19 Like you said, maybe FanDuel does try
02:20 to want an exclusive in California.
02:21 That's why they're getting out ahead of this thing.
02:23 That's all speculation at this point,
02:25 but you know, you can connect the dots there.
02:27 Potentially that is something that they decide to look at.
02:29 So, you know, we'll see if DraftKings,
02:31 Caesars, BetMGM, all the other operators,
02:33 Caesars has been involved with the California tribe,
02:35 certainly, we'll see what they do as well.
02:38 But again, a good step to many relations,
02:39 whether this means 2026 is possible or 2028, 2030,
02:43 we'll see, but yeah, good step in the right direction,
02:46 Craig, as these two sides look to try to find common ground.
02:49 Seems like things are gonna have to go through the tribes.
02:51 They are the power brokers in the state.
02:52 So they're gonna kind of figure out how things go,
02:54 but whether it's B2B or potentially an actual operator
02:57 with your brand out there, we'll see.
02:58 But again, good step in the right direction
03:00 for both sides here.
03:01 (upbeat music)
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