When do we see Fantasy sports in Europe?
If we’re being completely honest with you, the current scene for DFS (daily fantasy sports) doesn’t look too good in Europe. Lack of competition is the main reason why the current operators aren’t maybe up to our standards, if we compare them to traditional online casinos.
In North America, operators such as FanDuel & Draftkings are both running a billion dollar shows, which isn’t completely comparable to conditions we have in Europe. First of all, US legislation with sports betting is very complex and strict, which means there aren’t that many outlets people can gamble with, if they also happen to be sports fans. Operators like FanDuel and DraftKings will scratch that itch pretty well, serving the best of both worlds: betting on sports, and watching it.
Europe, however, has allowed sports betting in almost every single country for decades, and this makes it extra though for other businesses in the same niche to really thrive.
Can sports betting and fantasy sports work side by side?
If you ask the biggest players in the game (operators like Betsson Group, Kindred, etc.), the current answer is no. If daily fantasy sports would be a lucrative product to offer, we’re pretty sure that it would’ve already been made accessible through these big operators, that has millions of combined customers.
This doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future, but as the current market situation dictates, DFS and sports betting aren’t going to get a long under the same roof. When US & European legislation changes being more friendly towards DFS, we might see some big acquisitions, when the industry giants, DK & FD decides they want to come in Europe as well.
What next?
If you’re anxiously waiting to get your hands on a proper DFS product, we have some bad news for you. Fanteam.com is fairly decent, but if you’ve ever looked at what DraftKings & FanDuel can offer, you’d be disappointed. So far, Fanteam is your only option, but don’t get us wrong – it still can be a very valid choice, especially if you like football, which is their biggest sports category.
Arthur Dean is an ex Poker Player from JoBurg, South Africa who’s Poker Strategy books has been translated to over 6 languages.