FanDuel sets UK launch target but has not yet confirmed UK licence approval

FanDuel has revealed it is aiming to launch in the UK in August, though it still appears to be waiting for its licence application to complete.

A spokesperson for the daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator confirmed the planned launch target to Gambling Insider via email.

When asked if FanDuel plans to make an official public statement on its website, the spokesperson replied: “No, not yet as the date is not set in stone and still provisional - we are looking to launch then.”

The spokesperson was not able to give an update on the licence application.

FanDuel’s pool-betting licence application on the UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) website reads as “pending”, as it has read since the back-end of last year when the licence application began, and FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles was reported by Bloomberg in November to have said that the product may be subscription-based as opposed to charging entry fees for individual contests.

FanDuel is licensed to operate remote gambling software but is not yet licensed to operate remote pool betting.

UKGC was not able to give any more information on top of what is publically available when contacted.

FanDuel has an office in Edinburgh and Eccles is listed as based in the UK on Companies House.

It is reported that FanDuel’s UK offering will be football-only and will focus solely on the Barclays Premier League.

The launch comes after fellow DFS operator DraftKings began operating in the UK in February.

The FanDuel UK product would contrast with DraftKings UK, which offers a range of sports to UK players and would still appear to be US-facing to the UK player, with contests on US sports such as baseball, basketball and NASCAR being offered, and player deposits and prizes being converted to dollars.