Daily fantasy sports gaming operator DraftKings has entered into a partnership with American football competition the Canadian Football League.
Under the agreement, the length of which was not disclosed, DraftKings will organise weekly CFL fantasy competitions. The announcement comes ahead of the start of the 2016 CFL regular season on Thursday.
The competitions will give fans the chance to put together their ultimate CFL team and will reward participants with prizes such as match tickets and exclusive CFL experiences.
The two parties will also team up to promote free-to-play DraftKings contests for the CFL. In addition, DraftKings and the CFL will promote one another’s brands across their respective digital media platforms.
“Canada continues to be a key and growing market for DraftKings, and our partnership with the CFL is another way for us to attract passionate Canadian sports fans,” Jeffrey Haas, chief international officer at DraftKings, said. “The CFL is a dynamic league that works perfectly for DFS players of all skill levels.”
The partnership will mark the first time a major DFS platform has featured the CFL. The league becomes the second Canadian property to team up with DraftKings after the operator in 2015 signed an advertising and promotional deal with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns a number of sports franchises in Toronto.
Christina Litz, the CFL’s senior vice-president of marketing and content, added: “This new fantasy offering will give avid CFL fans and sports fans new to our league an opportunity to deepen their engagement with our game. It’s an important part of our strategy to serve our existing fan base better than ever before at the same time we attract new fans, including the next generation of fans.”
Last week it was reported by the Bloomberg and Reuters news agencies that DraftKings had opened talks with rival DFS operator FanDuel over a possible merger.