Amaya Gaming Daily Fantasy Sports Site Pulled from Majority of US Markets

In a drastic response to the ongoing controversy surrounding daily fantasy sports, the Amaya Gaming daily fantasy sports site StarDraft was pulled from all but four of its US markets.

This Monday, Amaya Gaming daily fantasy sports site StarDraft was pulled from every one of its US markets save for New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Kansas. This is shocking US gambling news, as the company had initially announced that it would only be moving out of the Nevada and Florida markets due to a demand for DFS operators to be licensed and a grand jury investigation into DFS, respectively.

An official from Amaya said that the company only decided to stay in the aforementioned four states because they have a more favorable regulatory climate.

Amaya Gaming daily fantasy sports site pulled because it would be too risky to keep it up

Amaya Gaming is being rightfully cautious when it comes to US gambling laws and current DFS controversy. The company just spent USD 4.9 B to buy the PokerStars brand, in addition to millions spent to secure a New Jersey online gaming license and re-enter the US market. To keep their fledgling StarDraft site in shaky US markets when Fan Duel and DraftKings already controls over 90% of the DFS industry would’ve been too risky.

A company spokesperson said that they are supportive of Nevada’s and other states’ push towards DFS regulation and licensing. Says the spokesperson of the new regulations, and how it affects their Amaya Gaming daily fantasy sports site: “As a proponent of state regulation and daily fantasy sports, we respect the decision of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and no longer allow Nevada Consumers to play for real money on StarDraft. We are an advocate for strict state regulation and the recent activities at some companies underscore the need for state regulation.”