PokerStars Parent Company To Launch 'StarsDraft' Daily Fantasy Sports SiteCompany Could Launch Product In Time For NFL Season |
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Canada-based Amaya Gaming Group, the parent company of PokerStars and Full Tilt, announced Thursday that it has acquired Texas-based daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator Victiv. The price tag was not disclosed.
“The current Victiv team will manage the DFS business, which will be rebranded StarsDraft and will be initially launched at StarsDraft.com in select U.S. markets and later through the PokerStars platform,” Amaya’s press release stated.
The launch could come in time for the 2015-2016 NFL season.
PokerStars is still awaiting a license to operate real-money online gambling in New Jersey, but that is expected to come this fall. Amaya already has a huge database of online gamblers, so the plan is to tap that to the benefit of its new DFS offerings. Other DFS sites are currently operating across the US without gaming licenses, and it’s unclear in which states Amaya would offer its StarsDraft platform.
PokerStars also recently launched sports betting in select foreign markets.
Amaya had already indicated earlier this year that it was looking to get into the DFS space. It will not be building its own DFS platform, thanks to the Victiv acquisition.
Victiv launched just last September.
“StarsDraft will combine Victiv’s innovative platform and experienced DFS team with Amaya’s expansive consumer base and operational excellence as the world’s preeminent online gaming brand,” Matthew Primeaux, CEO of Victiv, said. “We intend to capitalize on what we believe is strong crossover between online poker players and daily fantasy sports. PokerStars is the most-trusted brand in online gaming and brings unmatched security, customer support and technical infrastructure that we believe all players can rely on.”
The two largest players in the DFS space are DraftKings and Fan Duel, but others are looking to gain ground. As reported by Legalsportsreport.com, Yahoo! and CBS have launched their own products this summer, as many are vying for the no. 3 spot in the fledgling market.
According to recent analysis by Eilers Research, the DFS market could reach $2.5 billion by 2020. That’s not too far off from the most recent projection for the US online casino games market by 2020.
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