DraftKings has announced the end of its daily fantasy operation in the UK. The news came with users receiving an email Friday informing them of the end of DFS - effective immediately.
The move completes DraftKings’ withdrawal from the European market, following the closing of its DFS operations in Austria, Germany, Ireland, and Malta early last year.
UK users stunned by sudden end of DFS, Best Ball
Users in the UK hadn’t expected the news to come so suddenly, though. When informed of DraftKings’ decision, UK players found that it would be taking effect immediately. Players were told to withdraw funds before the deadline of June 3, 2025.
Many UK users took to social media to complain about the decision, voicing their frustration at the lack of DFS and Best Ball options now available to them. DraftKings had been the only option for UK DFS fans for some time, with Yahoo having exited the market back in 2018, and FanDuel doing the same in 2016.
I already experienced Poker Black Friday only to now get my own DFS version …
— Javier Etayo (@AnguilaDFS) October 4, 2024
Can’t believe @dkuk is closing operations 😰
What a terrible decision @DraftKings
Honestly, just awful news to wake up to. The withdrawal from the U.K. space for @DraftKings leaves users with virtually zero options for best ball, and of course DFS.
— Tom Strachan (@NFL_TStrack) October 4, 2024
For years I’ve played DFS every week & just as DK’s best ball contests got really good… 🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/oRlK4zEAdD
“We are grateful to all our customers across Great Britain and are committed to ensuring a smooth transition. Moving forward, we will continue to focus on growth and delivering value in other key markets, including U.S. sports betting,” a DraftKings spokesperson said.
DFS pioneer changes direction
DraftKings is well known as a pioneer of DFS. The company has transformed how users play the games over recent years, expanding its platform at a rapid rate to offer increased choice for players. But discrepancies in profitability across its global markets appear to have forced a change in strategy for the company.
The announcement will have come as little surprise to some, given the company’s decision to withdraw from many of its European markets in 2023. Last year, DraftKings suspended its DFS operations in Austria, Germany, Ireland, and Malta, a decision that disappointed players across Europe.
Just a few months later, in August 2023, DraftKings took the top spot in the U.S. sports betting market for the first time. The third quarter of 2023 saw DraftKings take 31% of online gambling gross gaming revenue in the U.S., beating previous frontrunner FanDuel by 1%, according to research published by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.
CFO Jason Park had hinted at the company’s change in strategy a few months earlier.
“In 2023, we expect gross margin to improve slightly relative to 2022 as we reduce promotional intensity in more mature states, partially offset by new state launches and continued mix shift out of DFS,” Park said at the time.
Discussing the company’s financial outlook for this year, CEO Jason Robins recently suggested a shift away from the UK market could soon be on the cards.
“We anticipate the healthy customer acquisition environment to continue through the back half of the year and possibly beyond, which may indicate the U.S. online gaming opportunity to be even larger than we previously thought,” Robins said.
“Our business fundamentals are very healthy, and we are excited about the second half of 2024 and beyond.”
