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Underdog Fantasy Signs Contract Extension with Gil’s Arena Cast

Ziv Chen

Last Updated: January 30, 2025 2:58 PM EST • 1 min 51 sec read.

Underdog Fantasy Signs Contract Extension with Gil’s Arena Cast
Pictured: Orlando Magic guard Gilbert Arenas gets a high-give from coach Stan Van Gundy. Photo by Gary W. Green / Orlando Sentinel / MCT / Sipa USA.

It's not one of our best sports betting sites, but it's one of the biggest names in Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS).

Online fantasy sports platform Underdog Fantasy has announced that it is extending Gil’s Arena's contracts in a new multi-year agreement. 

Gil’s Arena is one of the largest digital basketball podcasts in the United States and the fifth-largest sports show in America. It hosts various NBA figures, including former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, its main host and creator. 

Other members include executive producer Josiah Johnson, NCAA Champion Rashad McCants, NBA Champion Nick Young, NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin, Hall-of-Famer Sheryl Swoopes, Mr. Basketball USA Brandon Jennings, and WNBA Champion Lexie Brown.

"Underdog built us a platform and more importantly created a real partnership to share our unfiltered takes with fans. We're building a one-of-a-kind basketball network here, and this is just the beginning – we have big plans for the future," commented Gil's Arena host, Gilbert Arenas.

Underdog Fantasy

Underdog Fantasy launched in 2020 and became one of the fastest-growing sports companies in the United States. In addition to Gil’s Arena, the fantasy sports platform also provides other popular media networks, including shows like 89, hosted by All-Pro NFL wide receiver Steve Smith, Clean Pocket by Jay Gruden, and Section 10 and Baseball is Dead with Jared Carrabis and MLB veteran Dallas Braden. 

Besides its diverse media network featuring former professional athletes, Underdog Fantasy offers its users a variety of fantasy sports-related games and has also started expanding into online sports betting. For example, in January 2024, the company entered the North Carolina sports betting market by partnering with McConnell Golf. 

"This partnership is at the center of our media network expansion and proof of concept for our belief in bringing fans unvarnished and incredibly deep sports content. Working with Gil and his team has been incredible, and we are going to continue to elevate our sports content and build the best sports entertainment experience for our customers," said Liz Marro, Chief Marketing Officer of Underdog Fantasy.

Investment in gaming innovation fund

In the summer, Underdog Fantasy also announced that its investment initiative, GuardDog, will provide funding to The Game Safety Institute (GSI) to help it build more intelligence platforms that can accurately assess the risks in online gaming and educate players on the importance of gambling awareness. 

“Our clear aim with GuardDog is to support and help scale innovation in responsible gaming, and the Game Safety Institute is precisely the type of partner we look for – imaginative, with a commitment to rigorous testing and research to develop real, actionable solutions to enhance player safety across a wide range of products,” said Adam Warrington, Vice President of Responsible Gaming at Underdog. “We look at RG a little differently: not as a challenge, but as an opportunity necessitating fresh, creative ideas to create a stronger and more responsible ecosystem for operators and players.”

Written By:
Ziv Chen
Ziv has over two decades of experience in the igaming and sports betting industry, having served in senior marketing and business development positions with both B2C and B2B companies, including Playtech and Microgaming. In 2019, Ziv decided to pursue his passion for writing and became a fulltime industry journalist, covering casino, sports, and gambling business news. He’s specialties include casino games and technology, US state gambling regulation, company performance, as well as gambling affiliates and marketing. As a Pitt graduate, Ziv is a diehard fan of all Pittsburgh sports teams, with the Steelers at the top of the list. In his free time, he enjoys reading crime fiction, biographies (mainly of sports personalities, but not only) and American history. Ziv’s Favorite quote: “We're going to pursue perfection, knowing full well we won't catch it, but we're going to relentlessly chase it," Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach.