“This Week In Daily” is LegalSportsReport’s weekly wrap of key facts, happenings and miscellany from the daily fantasy sports industry.
Stories of note
DraftKings Does U.K.
It’s official for DraftKings, which will be live in the U.K. later this year after receiving its gaming license. The new domain (draftkings.co.uk), although you still can’t register via the U.K. It’s a mirror image of the U.S. site.
What we do know? DraftKings won’t be opening a sports book. What we think we know? The fact that a DFS site now has a gaming license in the U.K. could complicate things in the U.S.
FanDuel a multiplatform sports entertainment company?
FanDuel acquired the sports analytics site numberFire this week. But that was almost second to what CEO Nigel Eccles was saying after the purchase.
First, he announced his intentions to become a “multiplatform sports entertainment company.” Then, he said this to TechCrunch: “Our ambitions have really broadened. We’ve started to think of ourselves less as a fantasy sports business — we want to make sports more exciting.”
Where exactly is FanDuel headed, and what other purchases might it make to further those aims? It will certainly be interesting to see.
Of the week
Reads of the week
The inevitable rise of real-time fantasy sports
Fantasy In Real Time: Is The New ‘In-Game’ Fantasy The Future of DFS Industry?
ESPN’s Ryan Rodenberg first took a look at in-game fantasy, which is attempting to be the next iteration of DFS. Instead of setting your lineups before a game starts, you can be making selections as the game goes on. The access to lots of real-time sports data is behind the ability to offer “in-game fantasy.”
In the second story, the product marketing manager at real-time fantasy app Fanamana, takes a closer look at in-game fantasy, its advantages, and why it could be the next big thing in fantasy.
Tweets of the week
The @DraftKings world takeover still going strong
— Brit Devine (@brit_devine) August 17, 2015
Spoke to @JasonAder. Very high on daily fantasy sports, but also in favor of regulation. Protects consumer accounts/integrity of the game.
— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) August 17, 2015
Number of the week
11
The number of “fantasy sports lounges” sponsored by DFS sites in U.S. arenas and stadiums, at last count at our sponsorship tracker.
In case you missed it
Other news and stories from the world of DFS:
- Listen to me talk about PokerStars and Victiv/StarsDraft at 2+2’s pokercast.
- DraftKings now has “fantasy sports zones” at The Cubs’ Wrigley Field in Chicago and at the New England Patriots’ stadium.
- Amaya’s CEO wasn’t hot on any DFS platforms back in March. So why did he buy one?
- The latest on start-up SportsLock.
- Draft Ops does a deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
- DraftDay’s numbers are out, and its sale still hasn’t gone through. (Paywall)
