DraftDay is headed Down Under.
The daily fantasy sports operator and B2B provider has announced the launch of a new platform in Australia, called Draftstars. The DFS site is a joint venture between CrownBet and Fox Sports Australia.
“DraftDay is excited to be partnering with Draftstars to launch the defining daily fantasy sports website in Australia,” DraftDay CEO Rich Roberts said in a press release. “DraftDay’s award-winning platform and B2B expertise will provide Draftstars with a market-leading daily fantasy sports technology platform, incorporating essential consumer-protection tools to enhance the player experience and increase brand loyalty.”
Draftstars, at a glance
The platform will be the same as the one DraftDay operates in the U.S., albeit with a different look and offerings. It has web, iOS and Android functionality.
At the start, Draftstars will offer contests based on the Australian Football League to start, with contests for the National Rugby League and the NBA to be rolled out later on.
Draftstars has also inked a deal as the “Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner” of the AFL.
Draftstars CEO Matt Sanders had this to say in the release:
“As Australians, we love our sport, we love to compete and we love to test our knowledge of sports against our mates. Anyone who lives and breathes AFL will love Draftstars for the exciting and engaging digital sporting experience our platform will deliver
You can read the whole press release here.
Not the first DFS operator in Australia…
Daily fantasy is not entirely new to Australia, but DraftDay appears to be the first company from the U.S. to make a serious attempt at the Australian market. (A site called Moneyball — which looks a lot like FanDuel — is also new to the space.)
Operating daily fantasy in Australia, like in many non-North American jurisdictions, requires a gaming license. Draftstars’ website indicates that it is “licensed and regulated by the Northern Territory Government of Australia.”
DraftDay/Draftstars becomes a first mover out of the top- and mid-tier operators in the U.S. DFS space to tackle Australia; neither DraftKings nor FanDuel has entered the market yet. DraftKings launched in the UK earlier this year, and FanDuel is in the process of procuring a UK license. Those are their only international forays (outside of Canada) thus far.
With legal uncertainty plaguing DFS in the U.S., expansion to Europe and other markets may be the way of the future for some DFS companies. Mondogoal, a soccer-only site, has been one of the most aggressive operators on this front, with a recent expansion into Italy and operating ability in a number of countries:
https://twitter.com/Chris_Mazzone/status/705509173514018816
DraftDay also indicated in the press release that Draftstars “is the first of many international opportunities that DraftDay has in development.” DraftDay was sold by MGT Capital to a group that included gaming company Sportech in September.
