DraftKings to Operate in Germany

Daily fantasy sports site DraftKings is heading to Germany. That’s thanks to a new gaming license the company acquired from the Malta Gaming Authority. The international expansion will occur sometime during Q1, Jeffrey Haas, chief international officer for DraftKings, told Legal Sports Report.

It marks the first expansion of DraftKings’ footprint since DraftKings UK went live about a year ago. The core news is that DraftKings announced it had acquired a “Controlled Skill Games License” from the MGA. That is a new type of gaming license — apart from gambling licensing — that specifically looked to account for DFS.

Acquiring the license obviously allows DraftKings to operate in Malta, a small country with just about 400,000 people. But it also allows it access to other markets. An MGA license can be used to provide a legal basis under European Union law for operating in any EU member state.

For now, DraftKings indicates that expansion will only include in Germany, but in the future the license “will enable the company to operate in additional European countries.”

“We are excited to embark on this important phase of our international expansion,” said DraftKings co-founder and CEO Jason Robins. “We are pleased that Malta has recognized the need for special licensing of daily fantasy sports and other skilled based games. The Malta Gaming Authority is an innovative organization and it is clear that they have put a lot of thought and rigor into this process.”

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