Shutterstock/Doug Lemke On Friday, FanDuel is shutting down its daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests in Ontario . Next Monday, FanDuel Canada is slated to launch FanDuel Casino and FanDuel Sportsbook in the province’s newly expanded iGaming market.
That DFS shutdown is happening because on April 4, Ontario online gambling sites will be ring-fenced. This means they can only be accessed by Ontarians, and can’t network with related sites in other jurisdictions. For players-versus-player games like DFS and online poker, that will present a problem. DFS contests and poker tournaments both rely on having a large number of entries in order to offer big prizes.
For FanDuel, primarily owned by Dublin -based Flutter Entertainment , ring-fencing DFS presented enough of an issue to the operator to preemptively shut the product down . Players can continue to use the app until then and will get their money back, as well. Will DFS and poker sites team up to fight ring-fencing?
It’s too early to tell whether operators now denied larger player pools for products like DFS and online poker will choose to fight ring-fencing or not. Poker players themselves, however, are already calling for Ontario to reconsider .
Ontario treating DFS the same as other forms of online gambling is a different situation from what’s happening in the US. American federal law has a carveout for fantasy sports, of which DFS is a part. Those products therefore enjoy global player pools.
Another challenge that may arise in Ontario is some operators, like Boston -based DraftKings , are planning to use their DFS customer databases to market their new online casino and sports betting offerings.
If online gambling operators shut down DFS products, it’s unclear whether they can market new products those customer databases. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) marketing and advertising guidelines require “direct marketing and advertising” to involve “active player consent.”
DraftKings, FanDuel and iGaming Ontario (iGO) didn’t immediately return Online Poker Report ‘s request for comment today. Ontario ring-fencing products
Another Flutter brand, PokerStars , will join Ontario online poker operators on April 4 in mourning the loss of shared traffic. Responding […]
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