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Unfortunately, we will not be offering contests this season. We hope to be back in the future. Details: https://t.co/SrjbnizgPA.
— FanDuel (@FanDuelUK) July 28, 2017
Daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel has shut down its UK-facing operations in order to focus its commercial growth in its home US market.
Over the weekend FanDuel.co.uk sent emails communications to affected players informing them of their decision to shut down UK services and refunding player accounts. Furthermore, the DFS operator confirmed its market closure via Twitter.
Business news sources have reported that FanDuel governance will instead prioritise US home market growth above international expansion, as the operator enters a crucial period ahead of the start of the 2017/18 NFL season (start date 8 September).
This July, both FanDuel and main market rival DraftKings called-off their planned merger to become the outright DFS leader, as the combination would not be approved by the US Federal Trade Commission – FTC.
FanDuel, a company which was originally founded in Edinburgh in 2009, and maintains offices within the Scottish capital, entered the UK fantasy sports market in August 2016 having been granted a UK Gambling Commission licence. In its initial launch, the operator focused its DFS services on the English Premier League.
In its closure email, FanDuel management detailed that ‘almost £1 million’ was won by its UK customers over the past year. At present, FanDuel competitor DraftKings remains active within the UK fantasy sports market.
