DraftKings and FanDuel have scrapped their merger plans after initial proposals were rejected by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). An initial scheduling conference with the FTC national consumer protection agency was set to occur before an administrative judge today (Friday), but the two daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators announced on Thursday that they will now seek to pursue their own development. A deal between the two companies had been mooted for some time and an agreement was announced in November 2016. However, the FTC, estimating the pair held 90% of the US market, raised concerns over the impact the…

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said that it will seek to block the proposed merger between daily fantasy sports (DFS) companies DraftKings and FanDuel. According to reports in the US, the FTC has raised concerns over how the deal could impact competition in the US DFS sector, forecasting that the combined company would control over 90% of the domestic market. The FTC, along with attorneys general in California and the District of Columbia, will file for a complaint in federal district court and seek a preliminary injunction to block the deal. “This merger would deprive customers of the…

Fanduel has entered into a partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the sister league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Under the deal the DFS brand will serve as the official one-day fantasy partner of the WNBA. FanDuel will launch the ‘Official One-Day Fantasy Game of the WNBA’, which will allow fans to compete against each other for daily WNBA prizes. The game, which will launch ahead of the new WNBA season that tips off this weekend, is available via their website, the FanDuel mobile application and the WNBA website. FanDuel will also launch the ‘WNBA Tip-Off Challenge’,…

Players have been anticipating the rumored merger between fantasy sports giants DraftKings and FanDuel for many months. Now, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission may throw a wrench into the deal. Also, there is fantasy news from Germany. This week’s special offer is from bet365 Poker, where you can get a €100 bonus and Tournament Tickets Worth €5 free!

In mid-November 2016 the two largest daily fantasy football companies, DraftKings & FanDuel, announced a merger of equals. The thinking was that instead of pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into continuing to fight each other, they could fight legal and political battles together & continue to expand. When the news broke, ReCode quoted “the merger still needs to pass regulatory approval, but it’s hard to imagine that will be a problem.” So why haven’t we heard anything substantial since then? Why have almost four months gone by with no news of a confirmed merger? A period of silence of…

The NBA is upping its game on daily fantasy sports, with a little help from FanDuel. The league unveiled a fantasy game based on NBA games called InPlay on Thursday. It appears to be the development of a product called FanDuel Turbo that never officially launched. The NBA has an equity stake in FanDuel. “We are always looking at ways to enhance the viewing experience, drive people to tune in to our broadcasts and increase the time spent watching live games,” said Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, NBA Senior Vice President, Digital Media, in a press release on the launch.  “NBA InPlay…