FanDuel could walk away from DraftKings deal

In an exclusive interview published by Recode website, Eccles pointed out the operator is “evaluating options,” following the autorithies' decision to block the merger between FanDuel and DraftKings.

When asked whether the two daily fantasy sports sites might abandon their merger plans or fight the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) verdict, he said: “All of those things are still on the table.”  

At the moment, an initial scheduling conference is slated to occur before an administrative judge at the FTC on July 14

FTC is concerned over how the deal could impact competition in the US DFS sector, forecasting that the combined company would control over 90% of the domestic market. However, both companies claimed they serve a much broader marketplace, not just daily fantasy sports but weekly and yearly contests, including more casual leagues offered by sites like ESPN and Yahoo.

A spokeswoman for DraftKings told Recode: “We are working as quickly as possible to determine the best course of action in the interest of our customers, employees and investors.” 

According to official figures, DFS industry in the US had 57 million players last year.

“Daily fantasy sports is a subset of that bigger (gaming) market, and our mission is to convince that 57 million that daily fantasy sports is a better way to play,” Eccles said. “If we can get 10 percent of that 57 million, then we have a huge business, so that’s our focus.”