{"id":330763,"date":"2024-09-16T22:19:31","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T03:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=330763"},"modified":"2024-09-17T09:11:59","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T14:11:59","slug":"mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/","title":{"rendered":"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLPBA), the union representing the league\u2019s athletes, is suing four gaming companies, including Bet365 and DraftKings, over what it believes is unauthorized use of players\u2019 names, images, and likenesses across those operators\u2019 advertisements and betting sites.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_259157\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-259157\" data-style=\"width: 858px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-post-thumbnail-858xAUTO wp-image-259157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1-858x483.jpg\" alt=\"DraftKings stock\" width=\"858\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1-858x483.jpg 858w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1-430x242.jpg 430w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-259157\"class=\"text-description\">DraftKings signage at a baseball stadium. The gaming company is one of four being sued by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) for unauthorized use of player names and images. (Image: Forbes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In a suit filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the MLB players union is seeking compensation and punitive damages from Bet365 and DraftKings. Separate litigation filed in the New York State Supreme Court, New York County targets FanDuel and Underdog Fantasy. The MLBPA described the defendants\u2019 misuse of player images as \u201cflagrant,\u201d adding it could be harmful to the athletes\u2019 long-term earnings potential.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\"><p>For professional athletes, the ability to control the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses is a crucial return on their substantial career investment,\u201d said the union in a legal document.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Professional athletes, including MLB players, often appear in advertisements for companies across a slew of industries, but they\u2019re compensated for doing so. Some athletes, both current and retired, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/carl-weathers-fanduel-spots-to-be-altered-following-his-death\/\">have appeared in commercials<\/a> for sportsbook operators. However, the MLBPA argues that some of its members may not want to appear to be endorsing wagering, which is the perception some bettors may have when seeing those players\u2019 images splashed across a gaming company\u2019s website or mobile app.<\/p>\n<h2>For DraftKings, Second Players Union Suit<\/h2>\n<p>Specific to DraftKings, this is the second lawsuit from a players union faced by the company. A suit filed last month by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) implies the Boston-based gaming company owes that labor group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nflpa-alleges-draftkings-owes-it-65-million-in-nft-case\/\">as much as $65 million<\/a> over a nonfungible tokens (NFTs) deal gone bad.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>The NFLPA argues that it allowed DraftKings to use players\u2019 names, images, and likenesses in its NFT marketplace and in an NFT-based fantasy game known as Reignmakers, and that the gaming company hasn\u2019t fulfilled its financial obligations. The MLBPA is being represented by New York-based Inston &amp; Strawn LLP, the same firm handling the NFLPA case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The baseball players union said the gaming companies don\u2019t use NFL players\u2019 images on their platforms, and that the only reason they use baseball players&#8217; images is as a means to entice bettors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefendants\u2019 use of player images within their sportsbook platforms is not merely informational \u2014 it is promotional,\u201d the union\u2019s lawyers said in the complaint. \u201cUsers could bet that the Phillies will beat the Marlins, or that Bryce Harper will hit more than two home runs in a given game, without seeing Harper\u2019s valuable image. Indeed, both DraftKings and Bet365 offer the same types of bets in other sports without using player images.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Player Images Increasingly Valuable<\/h2>\n<p>Advertising and promotions in the forms of cash or free bets are key components of how sportsbook <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sports-betting-advertising-spend-swells-led-by-familiar-names\/\">operators attract new bettors<\/a>, and high market-share betting firms such as DraftKings and FanDuel are known for their prolific use of celebrity endorsers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>Those include current and retired athletes who are being compensated for appearing in the gaming companies\u2019 ads. Athlete images, particularly of pros, are increasingly valuable to the leagues and to the players themselves, and money is likely at the heart of the MLPBA\u2019s suits against Bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>While quantifying what an individual athlete\u2019s name and image are worth is difficult because it\u2019s a sliding scale between higher-profile and lesser-known profiles, some companies pay significant sums for use of pro athletes\u2019 names and images.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s estimated that the MLBPA and NFLPA generate hundreds of millions in annual revenue from licensing pacts with video game publishers while trading card companies pay tens of thousands per player across the major sports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLPBA), the union representing the league\u2019s athletes, is suing four gaming companies, including Bet365 and DraftKings, over what it believes is unauthorized use of players\u2019 names, images, and likenesses across those operators\u2019 advertisements and betting sites. In a suit filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":259157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33810,60,82963,1074],"tags":[81898,81928,81829,80968],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T03:19:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T14:11:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd Shriber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@etfgodfather\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd Shriber\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/\",\"name\":\"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-17T03:19:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-17T14:11:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/f4cecf70a5032bc4e60eb73fc86d4a85\"},\"description\":\"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"DraftKings signage at a baseball stadium. The gaming company is one of four being sued by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) for unauthorized use of player names and images. (Image: Forbes)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sports Betting\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sportsbetting\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/f4cecf70a5032bc4e60eb73fc86d4a85\",\"name\":\"Todd Shriber\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-11-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-11-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Todd Shriber\"},\"description\":\"Todd Shriber is a senior news reporter covering gaming financials, casino business, stocks, and mergers and acquisitions for Casino.org. Todd got his start in financial markets as a reporter with Bloomberg News. Later, he became a trader at a Southern California-based long\/short hedge fund, where he specialized in the trading sector and international ETFs leading up to and during the financial crisis. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Currently, Todd analyzes, researches, and writes on ETFs for various web-based publications and financial services firms. Shriber has been featured and quoted in Barron's, CNBC.com, and The Wall Street Journal. His work can also be found on Benzinga, ETF Daily News, ETF Trends, MarketWatch, Fox Business, and Nasdaq.com. He currently resides in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golf and taking his black lab to the dog park. He's also an avid sports fan and likes to wager on college football and the NBA. You can also find him at the three-card poker and roulette table, even though he knows better. Contact Todd at todd.shriber@casino.org.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/muckrack.com\/todd-shriber\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/toddshriber\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/etfgodfather\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/todd-shriber\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images","description":"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images","og_description":"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2024-09-17T03:19:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-17T14:11:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Todd Shriber","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@etfgodfather","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Todd Shriber","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/","name":"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-09-17T03:19:31+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-17T14:11:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/f4cecf70a5032bc4e60eb73fc86d4a85"},"description":"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DKNG-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"DraftKings signage at a baseball stadium. The gaming company is one of four being sued by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) for unauthorized use of player names and images. (Image: Forbes)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mlbpa-sues-bet365-draftkings-over-unauthorized-use-of-player-images\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sports Betting","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sportsbetting\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"MLBPA Sues Bet365, DraftKings Over Unauthorized Use of Player Images"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/f4cecf70a5032bc4e60eb73fc86d4a85","name":"Todd Shriber","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-11-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-11-96x96.png","caption":"Todd Shriber"},"description":"Todd Shriber is a senior news reporter covering gaming financials, casino business, stocks, and mergers and acquisitions for Casino.org. Todd got his start in financial markets as a reporter with Bloomberg News. Later, he became a trader at a Southern California-based long\/short hedge fund, where he specialized in the trading sector and international ETFs leading up to and during the financial crisis. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Currently, Todd analyzes, researches, and writes on ETFs for various web-based publications and financial services firms. Shriber has been featured and quoted in Barron's, CNBC.com, and The Wall Street Journal. His work can also be found on Benzinga, ETF Daily News, ETF Trends, MarketWatch, Fox Business, and Nasdaq.com. He currently resides in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golf and taking his black lab to the dog park. He's also an avid sports fan and likes to wager on college football and the NBA. You can also find him at the three-card poker and roulette table, even though he knows better. Contact Todd at todd.shriber@casino.org.","sameAs":["https:\/\/muckrack.com\/todd-shriber","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/toddshriber\/","https:\/\/x.com\/etfgodfather"],"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/todd-shriber\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330763"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330763"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":330772,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330763\/revisions\/330772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}