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Flutter Entertainment’s (NYSE:FLUT) FanDuel announced that it will adjust its 2024 Super Bowl ad featuring Carl Weathers after the actor died late last week. The original version of the commercial included former NFL star Rob Gronkowski and was a continuation of last year’s promotion when Gronk missed the “FanDuel kick of destiny.”
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Carl Weathers,” updated the sports betting on its social media sites. “Throughout his life, Carl was an iconic talent who had a profound impact on the people he worked with on and off the screen. FanDuel was fortunate to have had an opportunity to work with him during our Super Bowl campaign. We are adjusting our campaign accordingly out of respect for the family during their time of grief,” read FanDuel’s statement.
Overall, sports betting advertising will be lower during the Super Bowl this year than a year ago. A DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG) will run a high-profile ad featuring Kevin Hart, while BetMGM (MGM) (OTCPK:GMVHF) will run an ad with Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, and Vince Vaughn. 30-second Super Bowls are estimated to cost about $7M this year. U.S. viewership of the Super Bowl is expected to top 110M. Last year’s Super Bowl was the most watched TV event in history.
FanDuel (FLUT) and DraftKings (DKNG) are expected to smash last year’s sports betting handle this year, with new states in the betting mix. Legal Sports Report forecast that $1.29B will be legally wagered on the Super Bowl, which would mark a 19.4% increase from last year’s Super Bowl. Shares of Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) rallied 6% in the U.S. last week after its listing went live on the New York Stock Exchange. DraftKings (DKNG) pushed 4.25% higher as investors jumped into the sports betting stock ahead of the Big Game.
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