LOS ANGELES—Ahead of the year’s biggest gambling event, FanDuel Group Chief Executive Amy Howe was spreading her message of confidence in the U.S. sports-betting industry in interviews with journalists.
Behind her, sports broadcaster Pat McAfee—whom the company is paying $120 million over four years to be its media star—appeared to be taking tequila shots with former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith on the FanDuel-branded stage at the crowded Super Bowl media center. When a journalist commented on Mr. McAfee’s good time, Ms. Howe laughed and said she thought he was just drinking ice tea.
