DraftKings has signed official partnerships with EPL clubs Arsenal, Liverpool and Watford as part of its planned expansion to the U.K. market. The daily fantasy operator intends to begin offering games in the U.K. later this year, a delay after previously intending to be available there by the end of '15. The partnerships, similar to the many the company holds with U.S. clubs, will include a variety of exclusive prizes for game winners, including match tickets and team merchandise. DraftKings will receive pitch-side LED advertising with Liverpool and a variety of other online and offline marketing assets with all three clubs. For Liverpool, the partnership represents an expansion of parent operation Fenway Sports Group’s link to DraftKings, as the company also sponsors the Red Sox (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). DraftKings Chief Int'l Officer Jeffrey Haas said, "Our intent is not only to go to the UK, but also across the world." In Boston, Curt Woodward notes Haas "did not offer a specific date for DraftKings to launch its fantasy sports contests" in the U.K. The company last month said that it would "probably begin offering contests in the UK by mid-February." Haas: "We’re at the final stages of preparation and software development. We need to make sure we get the product right." Woodward notes expanding to the U.K. "gives DraftKings access to a large new pool of potential customers with fewer legal headaches than the company has faced back at home." Haas said that there are "likely 850,000 to 1 million potential daily fantasy sports players in the UK, based on an estimate of about 8.5 million people playing traditional season-long fantasy games." That "could project" to a market worth $60-100M in entry fees a year. Meanwhile, FanDuel also has "applied for a UK gambling license," and the company has "previously said it has partnered with Mondogoal," which already holds a U.K. license (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/4).
MINOR IMPACT: Woodward also reports Vantiv yesterday said that dropping the DFS industry "won’t have a noticeable effect on its sales." The payment processing company is "fleeing the daily fantasy sports sector amid increasing regulatory pressure." Vantiv President & CEO Charles Drucker said revenue from DFS clients "is not material to the overall business." He added, "We may re-enter the space in the future should conditions change" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/4).
