Nigel Eccles
Co‑founder and CEO of BetHog and Sentient Studios
Nigel Eccles is a Scottish entrepreneur and pioneer in fantasy sports and crypto‑gaming. He began his career as a management consultant before joining Flutter.com (later part of Paddy Power Betfair) as a product manager. In 2007 he co‑founded Hubdub, a political prediction market. Recognising a larger opportunity in fantasy sports, he pivoted the team to launch FanDuel in 2009. Under his leadership FanDuel became a billion‑dollar daily fantasy platform and a market leader in the US. Eccles stepped down as FanDuel CEO in 2016 but remained on the board until its acquisition by Paddy Power Betfair in 2018.
He subsequently co‑founded BetHog (2021), a crypto‑native casino, Sentient Studios (2025), an AI‑powered live‑dealer games company, and BetDex Labs. In 2024 he was inducted into the Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame.
Career History
| Company | Role | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Hubdub Ltd | Co‑founder | 2007-01-01 – 2009-01-01 |
| FanDuel | Co‑founder & CEO | 2009-01-01 – 2016-01-01 |
| FanDuel | Founder | – present |