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FanDuel is in talks to acquire rival DraftKings, reports say

Posted at 4:11 PM, Jun 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-13 16:11:18-04

Controversial Daily Fantasy Sports sites FanDuel and DraftKings may soon join forces.

Reuters reports that FanDuel is in talks to acquire rival DraftKings. The two websites are the largest players in the Daily Fantasy space.

The Daily Fantasy industry has been under fire since last fall, when state attorneys general across the country deemed the online games as illegal gambling. FanDuel has ceased operations in 12 states, and DraftKings has ceased operations in 11 states.

The sites are also facing a class-action lawsuits from angry users that question the games' legality. 

More controversy arose in October, when a DraftKings employee was accused of using insider information to win thousands of dollars while playing Daily Fantasy Games on FanDuel.

After spending hundreds of millions in advertising in 2015, both companies shrunk their ad budgets to focus on impending legal battles.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel claim they are “games of skill” and therefore not illegal gambling.

Last month, Congress launched a “fact-finding” mission to investigate the legality of Daily Fantasy sites.