Minnesota Indian Tribe Launches Daily Fantasy Sports Site

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians in Minnesota is launching a daily fantasy sports site that’s ready to go for the upcoming NFL season. This marks the first time that a tribal gaming interest has dipped its toes in the US-facing daily fantasy sports market.
The new site is called Grand Fantasy Sports and went live earlier this week. According to a report on LegalSportsReport.com, Grand Fantasy Sports will be limiting its player pool to residents of 11 states including: California, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
It’s believed the company chose these 11 states because they’ve either already regulated their own daily fantasy sports markets, or are sympathetic to the industry.
While the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians are extremely interested in expanding their digital footprint, they’re also using Grand Fantasy Sports to bring in foot traffic to their flagship operation, the Grand Casino Mille Lacs. The casino is planning a number of daily fantasy sports promotions, as well as a fantasy sports lounge.
Though Grand Fantasy Sports is the first foray into DFS by a tribal gaming interest, it’s not likely to be the last and that could have a significant impact on the US-facing market.
So far, tribal gaming’s reaction to the daily fantasy sports explosion (and implosion) has been all over the place. Some tribes see DFS as unwanted competition from a loosely regulated business; while others are reluctant to step into a market that might not remain legal in their state.
Some tribes, such as the Seminole in Florida, see daily fantasy sports as unregulated sports betting and want nothing to do with business.
No matter where they stand on the issue today, it’s certain that tribal gaming interests across the US will be watching the Ojibwa and Grand Fantasy Sports closely.