Poll results: DraftKings set for UK disappointment

DraftKings’s stateside success will not translate to the UK market, the majority of respondents to this week’s eGaming Review poll have said.

The daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator flicked the switch on its UK-facing site last week, having signed major sponsorship deals with English Premier League football teams Arsenal, Liverpool and Watford days before.

Commenting on the launch, DraftKings chief international operator Jeffrey Haas said there was “massive appetite” for DFS among UK players, but 64% of readers disagreed and said the product would fail to gain much traction.

The widespread availability of legal real-money sports betting will be a huge challenge for the operator to overcome, as will bringing its platform up to the standard expected by UK players.

The firm twice delayed its launch over product concerns, and immediately after going live players were complaining about the lack of a desktop platform and no option to deposit with credit or debit cards.

Rival FanDuel also has plans to expand into Europe, but CEO Nigel Eccles previously said it would likely be with a different product tailored to the UK market.

And 20% of respondents agreed with Eccles, saying DFS could gain traction in the UK if DraftKings was able to up its game and deliver a bespoke offering.

DraftKings’ expansion into other markets comes as a time when its business is under serious threat in the US, with a growing number of states ruling the activity illegal gambling.

With that in mind, the operator will likely spend big when it comes to advertising and marketing its offering to UK players, with product updates and innovations undoubtedly in the pipeline.

Its marketing blitz paid dividends in the US with the firm going from start-up to billion dollar behemoth in a little over two years, and 16% of respondents believe DraftKings will be able to replicate that success in the UK.