DraftKings poised for Q4 UK launch
Daily fantasy sports operator to enter the UK market by the end of the year, will pool liquidity with its US player base
Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings says it expects to launch in the UK by the end of the year.
The Boston-based firm, which plans to open a London HQ, will pool liquidity between its players in the UK and the US to allow it to offer the same multi-million pound prize funds.
Jeffrey Haas, who joined DraftKings as chief international officer in August, told eGaming Review this morning that he was “confident” of meeting the Q4 launch deadline.
Haas is currently overseeing the recruitment of more than 20 positions at the firm’s UK office including in CRM, communications, analytics, compliance, and business development and corporate partnerships, after the firm received a licence from the UK Gambling Commission.
In July, eGR exclusively revealed that Haas quit his role at bwin.party after less than two years having overseen the operator’s launch in the newly-regulated New Jersey market and an overhaul of the partypoker product.
At the time, Haas said DraftKings was well-poised for international growth and that he was “excited” to be leading their expansion efforts.
DraftKings has provided little information about what products it will launch in the UK and how it will market its offering, with the firm spending upwards of $20m per week in the US during the opening weeks of the NFL season.
But questions remain over whether the daily fantasy sports model will build traction among players outside of the US, where sports betting is illegal in most states.