US-based daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator DraftKings is beginning to flex its muscles in the British gaming market with the acquisition of the full player database of free-to-play DFS platform TransferKings.
Draftkings describes the acquisition of TransferKings as a strategic move to accelerate its expansion and cement its footprint on the British shores as legalization of the DFS in the U.S. remains uncertain. In return, TransferKings sees the acquisition as an opportunity for their players in the UK to access real-money contests, as opposed to only free-to-play competitions.
The two companies didn’t disclose the specific terms of the deal, including the price of the deal.
“We want to expand our audience in the United Kingdom, and this is an effective way to reach an even larger group of passionate fantasy football fans,” DraftKings Chief International Officer Jeffrey Haas said, according to Inside World Football.
Hemant Maini, co-founder and chief executive officer of TransferKings said in a separate statement: “We have built a large base of fantasy football fans and are excited to offer them the opportunity to expand their passion for football and other sports by joining the DraftKings platform.”
A day after sealing the deal, the website of TransferKings is now being redirected to the UK website of DraftKings. In a statement posted on the website, TransferKings’ founding members thanked their loyal DFS players for supporting their gaming platform.
“TransferKings has recently had its player database acquired by, and will now be directing all of its players to, DraftKings. We have proudly built a loyal following but are delighted to offer an even wider range of games with bigger prizes on the DraftKings platform,” TransferKings said in a statement. “Hemant, Manoj and Rahul – the founders of TransferKings – would like to thank you for all your support and hopefully we may see many of you again in future ventures.”
DraftKings – which has 7 million DFS players worldwide with 300,000 playing daily games across the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Major League Soccer, and Liga MX – is currently running DFS games on the 2016 European Championships as well as the Copa America Centenario.
TransferKings is a relatively new games platform having only launched in July 2015. While it has built numbers of players in its games, it hasn’t developed a cash-game platform.
