William Hill agrees lawsuit settlement with FanDuel

William Hill US has accepted a settlement in its copyright infringement lawsuit against fellow sports betting operator FanDuel.

The suit began in October when Hills accused FanDuel of copying its information in FanDuel’s ‘How To Bet Betting Guide’ first distributed at the Meadowlands Racetrack in July.

Hills alleged the pamphlet was a “blatant infringement” of William Hill’s copyrighted work, claiming parts were “unauthorised and substantively identical” to the William Hill pamphlet, published a month earlier.

Hills US cited numerous examples of plagiarism in the FanDuel pamphlet

Following the recent settlement, Hills US CEO Joe Asher said the company would use the proceeds to fund scholarships for creative writing programmes at New Jersey universities. Asher also confirmed part of the funds would be donated to an organization that supports people with gambling problems, “a very important issue for us”.

The news comes less than a week after William Hill received initial permission from the Nevada Gaming Commission to open five more sportsbooks across Nevada.

If regulators approve the proposals, scheduled to be confirmed by 24 January, the operator will have 114 sportsbooks in operation in Nevada alone. Hills US operations extend to six states: Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.