DraftKings delays UK launch over product concerns
Planned Q4 launch pushed back to next year so daily fantasy sports operator can improve its product offering
 Daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator DraftKings has pushed back its planned UK launch until next year over concerns its product is not yet up to scratch. [private]
DraftKings previously said it would be live in the UK by the end of Q4 after receiving a gambling license from the GB Gambling Commission back in September.
The operator has since been busy testing its product with focus groups, but has taken the decision to postpone its launch in order to improve its offering.
DraftKings chief international officer and former bwin.party director of poker Jeffrey Haas told the Boston Globe that once improvements had been made it would enter the market.
âWe have been testing our product with focus groups, and the response has been positive,â Haas said. âBut we think we can do better and need to make some improvements before we go to a full launch.
âOnce these minor issues are resolved, we will be ready to launch. There is nothing else standing in our way,â he added.
The delay comes shortly after the DraftKings data leak scandal, which has led to a growing number of states examining the legal foundation of daily fantasy sports.
The Nevada regulator has since ruled DFS meets the definition of gambling under state gaming law, requiring operators to apply for a sports betting license.
In New York, the state Attorney General has reached a similar conclusion and issued DraftKings and rival FanDuel with cease and desist letters in an attempt to permanently block the sites in the state.
Both operators are now locked in a fierce legal battle with the Attorney General, with a ban in New York likely to have serious repercussions for FanDuel and DraftKings and the wider industry.
FanDuel also has plans to launch in the UK and has applied for a gambling license with the GB Gambling Commission, but has yet to set a date for when it will enter the market.