On April 15, 2011, thousands of Americans who played online poker woke to find three popular websites shut down by the FBI and millions of dollars in players’ accounts frozen. The online poker industry survived its “Black Friday,” as the day became known, as the Obama administration declared online gaming legal later that year in states that approved it. But the aftermath should serve as a looming worst-case scenario to the millions of Americans who play daily fantasy sports, legal experts say, as many of those players who had money saved in online poker accounts had to wait years before…

DraftKings has cleared an employee of any wrongdoing after it was alleged he used insider information to win $350,000 (€308,300) on a website operated by rival daily fantasy sports (DFS) company FanDuel. Ethan Haskell, a manager at DraftKings, released key data on fantasy teams for the NFL American football league and won the real-money prize on FanDuel in the same week. Data released by Haskell showed which NFL players were most used in teams submitted to the website’s ‘Millionaire Maker’ contests, with this data not usually released until the line-ups for games have been completed. Furthermore, having such information prior…

Nevada gaming regulators banned unlicensed daily fantasy sports websites from providing their product to Silver State customers, saying the activity constitutes sports wagering. In an order filed by the Gaming Control Board Thursday, the agency said daily fantasy sports websites, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, can apply for a Nevada gaming license to operate a sports pool. The Control Board issued a “cease and desist” order that bans the websites from Nevada. “Since offering daily fantasy sports in Nevada is illegal without the proper license, all unlicensed activities must ceases and desist from the date of this notice,” wrote Gaming…

Amaya has stepped into the DFS ‘data leak scandal’ by calling on regulators in the US to take a tougher stance on daily fantasy sports (DFS) in order to better protect consumers and players. DFS has come under fire in the US this week after it was revealed that a DraftKings manager inadvertently released data showing he knew which players were most picked prior as part of American football fantasy teams. He then went on to win US$350,000 (€312,800) betting on NFL games through rival operator FanDuel. DraftKings and FanDuel in a statement defended the integrity of their businesses and…

Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings has further strengthened its presence in the NFL American football league by securing sponsorship deals with 12 more teams in the competition. The Minnesota Vikings is so far the only franchise to have confirmed itself as one of the 12 teams to be covered by the deal, with the identity of other teams yet to be revealed. In a statement, the Vikings said the deals will enable DraftKings to offer exclusive fantasy games and money-can’t buy experiences to NFL fans. DraftKings will also benefit from in-stadium branding and online extensions on each team’s digital platform….

Jason Robins, chief executive of DraftKings, has denied suggestions that the daily fantasy sports operator could launch a sportsbook service as part of its wider offering. As reported by iGaming Business, US-based DraftKings this week confirmed it had secured a licence to begin operating in the UK. While the US has a very limited sports betting market, with such services only legal in the state of Nevada, the UK offers an open market. Following the confirmation of DraftKings’ licence in the UK, some reports had suggested that the company could launch a sportsbook of its own in an effort to…

News broke recently that DraftKings, the US daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator, has opened up a new office in London in order to take advantage of its new gaming licence. Daily fantasy sports betting has become a booming industry in the US in recent months and now the industry is looking towards the UK. As it stands, the DFS market is generating more than $2.5 billion each year in the US and when the main players begin to migrate over to the UK that figure will increase dramatically. Naturally, as DFS become more of a “thing” in the UK, sports fans will…

Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings has moved to enhance its presence in the US professional sports market by entering into partnerships with three more teams in the NFL American football league. The company has signed multi-year agreements with the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. Under each deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, DraftKings will open branded fantasy sports lounges at each of the teams’ home stadiums. The lounges at the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium and the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium will open in time for the start of the 2015 NFL season,…