FanDuel coming to UK later this year

FanDuel has recently come out and announced that it plans on entering the UK market later this year. The precise date isn’t known at this time; however, the company is aiming for a launch in August.

Fanduel fantasy sports betting logo

What is FanDuel?

FanDuel is an online Fantasy Sport betting game where players can wager real money on the outcome of fantasy matches. It has become extremely popular in the United States and FanDuel is one of the largest providers around.

Players will essentially go out and build their ultimate team and compete with other fantasy teams to win matches. However, a player will not simply be able to hire all the very best players in a given game, as their team will have a salary limit they cannot exceed.

What’s the hold up with FanDuel?

Well, it is looks like it has not been granted a license to operate pool betting in the UK at this time. The company is currently licensed to operate remote gambling software. Should you head over to the UK Gambling Commissions website and follow up on its application, it currently states that it is pending. This is the same thing it read towards the end of 2015, when the application process was first started.

One of FanDuel’s rivals, DraftKings, recently started operating within the UK. DraftKings began operating in February 2016 and offers players a wide range of fantasy sports to take part in, including baseball, basketball and NASCAR. This is where FanDuel will be slightly different as it will reportedly focus solely on Football, specifically the Barclays Premier League.

If you’re interested in fantasy sports betting, then this is probably a really exciting time for you. You just need to decide if you prefer the wider variety of sports offered by DraftKings, or the Football-only offering of FanDuel. We’ll keep you updated on any further licencing news as we hear it.

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Nigel Frith