The MLB union is suing major gambling and fantasy sites over the use of player likenesses and you may not want to bet against it.
"On Monday, the MLB Players Association filed separate lawsuits in New York and Pennsylvania, alleging that sports betting and fantasy baseball companies DraftKings, FanDuel, Underdog, and bet365 wrongfully used the names and likenesses of MLB players," CBS Sports reported. "The lawsuits allege those companies used player names and imaging for prop bets despite having no license to do so.
"The lawsuits, obtained by CBS Sports, were filed by MLB Players Inc., which handles the union's business matters. According to the filing, the sites began featuring images of players on their betting platforms in early 2024, despite not being licensed by MLBPI."
That is indeed a big no-no. Whether it holds up in court ... well, I guess we shall see.
"Indeed, nearly every active MLB player's image is displayed on defendants' websites and mobile apps," the lawsuit reads. "MLB player names, images, and likenesses are also featured prominently in advertising on both DraftKings Sportsbook and bet365's social media, including in posts encouraging customers to place bets on the featured player."
The suit alleges that the gambling sites do not use NFL players, and therefore using MLB player images is unnecessary.
"Defendants' use of player images within their sportsbook platforms is not merely informational—it is promotional," the suit reads. "Users 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's valuable image," the lawsuit reads.
"And there is no other purpose for using popular MLB player names and images in advertising other than to increase the consumer appeal of the apps and draw users to make bets on the platforms, particularly given that the core information that bettors need in order to make informed decisions about placing sports bets is statistical data."
