Yahoo is finally getting a slice of UK daily fantasy market pie that has been shared by rivals DraftKings and FanDuel.
According to Legal Sports Report, the UK Gambling Commission has granted the license of Yahoo, making it the third DFS operator to legally offer their products in UK. Before getting the license in UK, Yahoo DFS was available to players in much of the US and Canada.
But the news about the approval of Yahoo’s license broke out via Twitter by a DFS enthusiast with twitter handle @Bigo1. The news website confirmed the information but it declined to make other comments.
The report had it that Yahoo, which will offer soccer contests, will localize currency with British pounds. UK players will also enjoy contests available to Americans and Canadians, with liquidity shared universally.
Yahoo’s license may be viewed on the UK Gambling Commission website.
Early this year, the UK gambling commission has awarded DFS giants DraftKings and FanDuel with licenses to operate in the country. The launches of the two DFS leaders, however, were not accompanied by customer acquisition efforts.
Last month, DraftKings and FanDuel confirmed they would join forces sometime in the latter half of 2017. Financial details weren’t disclosed, but the companies expect to realize “operational efficiencies and cost savings” that will “help the combined company accelerate its path to profitability.”
Yahoo, on the other hand, remains a clear No. 3 in the DFS market. It, however, is light-years away to overtake DraftKings and FanDuel.
The report described UK’s decision to grant a license to Yahoo as an “interesting development” since it holds a gambling license in any jurisdiction even if it is not part of the casino industry. It also noted that the granting of the license comes after daily fantasy soccer site Mondogoal closes its consumer-facing product. Mondogoal once was a partner with Yahoo.
Mondogoal, Global Daily Fantasy Sports, and some other providers see the future of DFS in the UK and beyond as a business-to-business proposition, according to the report. They envision their DFS platforms being deployed via already established online sportsbooks. Mondogoal is already doing just that with providers in Italy.
