Leadership in the US online sports betting market is often fluid and varies at the state level, but what it isn’t up for debate is that a duopoly has formed and it’s comprised of DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) and Flutter Entertainment’s (NYSE: FLUT) FanDuel.
Flutter’s second-quarter earnings report contained multiple points suggesting FanDuel can maintain and extend its expand its already dominant footprint in the domestic sports betting space. Those include favorable average revenue per monthly active user (ARPMAU) trends. As Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) points out, FanDuel’s first-quarter ARPMAU was $134 compared to $137 for rival DraftKings, but during the June quarter, the tide turned in favor of FanDuel.
Possible explanations in our view: FanDuel improved its Major League Baseball (MLB) parlay product (it called this out specifically at earnings), plus a relative shift of the player base from daily fantasy sports (where there was a ‘some cannibalization’ in terms of active users) to casino, where monthly unique players (MUPs) were up 30%,” noted EKG. “DraftKings decline, meanwhile, was likely affected by the inclusion of Jackpocket customers into its MUP number and thus the calculation.”
Improvements to parlay product are notable for any operator, particularly with the imminent arrival of the 2024 football season. Some studies indicate that NFL bettors are planning to wager more frequently this year than in 2023. Parlays have long been part of operators’ toolkits when it comes spurring more betting, especially during football season.
Long-Term Focus Can Benefit FanDuel
Relative to competitors such as DraftKings and some others, FanDuel has the advantage of being a unit of a larger, mature company. So while competitors are focusing on near-term profit objectives to foster confidence among analysts and investors, FanDuel can focus on long-term objectives.
That point isn’t lost on institutional investors in the US, many of whom have been quick to buy shares of Flutter since the gaming company listed its shares in New York in January and later made the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) its primary listing venue.
Owing to the support of a well-heeled parent and its own commendable execution, FanDuel has long been profitable and has used that cash to reinvest in the business, whether it be in customer acquisition, technology, or other areas.
“FanDuel noted payments costs had increased to ~6% of NGR, thanks in part to a faster deposit/withdrawal system that meant customers were transacting more often,” added EKG. “That’s costing FanDuel money, but the product payoff is worth it, per CFO Rob Coldrake, because ‘customers love that feature.’ That type of focus on product has helped FanDuel to five straight no. 1 rankings in our OSB app testing.”
FanDuel Smart to Eschew Surcharge
As was widely expected, FanDuel didn’t follow DraftKings in announcing a surcharge on winning sports wagers in select high tax states. In fact, when the former didn’t play ball, the latter was forced to reverse course on the controversial issue.
While DraftKings scrapped plans for the surcharge, rivals such as FanDuel that passed on the opportunity may have already won the battle in the court of public opinion and beyond.
“However we believe it was a wise move to avoid the potential backlash from customers and, perhaps more importantly, policymakers, who we suspect would not have looked kindly on any attempts to skirt paying taxes,” concluded EKG.
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