DraftKings could operate in Ireland
A few weeks after the company dropped its plans to merge with rival FanDuel, DraftKings is reportedly interested in Ireland.
Ireland.- DraftKings, the leading American daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator is interested to bring its services in Ireland before 2017 ends, news outlet Fora revealed earlier this month. DraftKings and FanDuel, the biggest operators in the American continent, dropped their merger plans last month, after a series of impediments that forced them to continue separate ways.
As Fora said, the Chief International Officer of the company, Jeffrey Haas, confirmed that DraftKings is expecting to release its gaming service before the end of the year, even if the launch date hasn’t been set yet. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the company would open an office in the country to develop the market in the immediate future, he said. “Let’s see how our (Irish) business becomes established and grows over time.”
“If you do a search on Twitter for ‘DraftKings’ and ‘Ireland’, you will see dozens of request from players asking when we’re coming. There’s clearly pent-up demand that already exists.” Moreover, he told the news outlet that the company is currently looking for a range of companies who may have existing databases of potential Irish players that would be interested in helping inform them about DraftKings. “In the United Kingdom, we work very closely with Liverpool Football Club. That’s a global partnership and it will extend into Ireland for sure.”
As there isn’t a local regulation that covers DFS activities in Ireland, DraftKings officials are expecting to speak with Irish Revenue regarding the tax review to explain their position and their intend to enter into the market.
