DraftKings targets February UK launch
Daily fantasy sports operator will "probably" be live in the UK by the end of next month having pushed back its launch twice already
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator DraftKings plans to be live in the UK market by mid-February, having postponed its hotly-anticipated launch twice already.
The date was confirmed by DraftKings’ newly-appointed CMO Janet Holian, who told the Boston Globe the operator would “probably” be offering contests to players in the UK by the middle of next month.
The Boston-based firm first announced plans to enter the UK market back in August, appointing former bwin.party director of poker Jeffrey Haas to lead its international expansion efforts.
On announcing Haas’ appointment, DraftKings also confirmed it had been awarded a gambling licence by the GB Gambling Commission, and targeted a UK go-live date in October.
That date was then pushed back to December, and following the DraftKings data leak scandal and resulting media storm and industry scrutiny, postponed it again until “sometime in 2016.”
DraftKings’ fierce rival FanDuel also has plans for European expansion, and confirmed last year that it would “experiment” by launching in the UK sometime this year.
However CEO Nigel Eccles said it may not enter the market with a traditional DFS product over concerns it will not gain much traction among UK players.
Both operators are currently locked in a number of legal battles with Attorney Generals in several US states who have ruled DFS meets the definition of gambling under state law.