Draft Kings, a leading provider of player acquisition services for the regulated global online gambling industry, announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Roto Sports, Inc. (“Roto Sports”), the operator of RotoWire.com (“RotoWire”), a popular provider of expert fantasy sports news and advice. The acquisition, which is subject to normal closing conditions, is scheduled to conclude in early January 2022.
Earlier BetOn informs that international daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings announced its acquisition of U.S.-based DFS company RotoWire. As part of a multi-year agreement, DraftKings will purchase all assets associated with the product and website under which most fans know RotoWire as well as maintain their existing URL and product technology (i.e., iOS, Android).
In an exclusive interview with daily fantasy industry insider Everett Mowery, Derek Van Riper spoke to CEO Jason Robins about why he chose to acquire an established DFS platform such as RotoWire instead of continuing with its original site strategy, how it’ll affect consumer habits moving forward, what players can expect on their accounts now that they’re integrated into one global brand and much more.
With access to 20 million unique visitors a month, DraftKings is positioning itself to double its reach across North America in a short period of time. While there is no exact timeline on when that growth will be achieved, industry experts expect it could happen within six months of its new marketing initiatives.
Both sites currently allow users to play for free but only DraftKings offers an array of contests with real money prizes and satellite entries into larger payouts. Those entry points and accompanying excitement around large cash prizes will likely attract more players to each site and thus increase their current user base.
Some changes will be immediately apparent to our users, including new options that allow sports fans to follow a player’s performance across different leagues. Others will be deeper under-the-hood improvements, making daily fantasy sports easier for both players and site operators, such as 22Bet or 1xBet.
We don’t anticipate any disruptions or changes during games, nor do we have any changes planned for individual players’ contests. The only significant change may be a greater presence of RotoWire logos at DFS sites going forward as part of their overall marketing efforts. We can all expect growth from an additional $25 million in investment that we raised earlier this year, and seeing further improvements in mobile app development and product integration over time.
