Some of the biggest names in the US sports betting industry, including FanDuel, SportsBet, DraftKings and Caesars have removed bets on sports leagues in Belarus and Russia, as part of sanctions directed against Russia for its attack on Ukraine.
On Thursday last week, DraftKings announced that it would be halting all bets on Russian sports organizations, teams or leagues in both countries. Later, other sports betting operators announced that they were also taking down these markets from their sites.
Heading its tweet message with a Ukraine flag, DraftKings said that its ban applied to US B2C operations as well as its global B2B operations. DraftKings has an office in Kyiv.
“As of today, we will no longer offer betting on sports leagues and events in Russia and Belarus, such as the KHL,” tweeted DraftKings. “DraftKings has no direct commercial relationship with any Russian or Belarusian league, team or sports organization. Our customer Experience team is prepared to answer questions from any customers impacts by this change.”
The ban will be a blow to many Russian sports leagues, but the one that is set to feel it most keenly is the country’s leading hockey league, KHL which is in the middle of its playoffs.
Others that will be affected are table tennis, badminton, basketball, soccer and volleyball fans.
