FanDuel owner Flutter lifts guidance, rival betting firm drops US surcharge plans

By Padraic Halpin

DUBLIN (Reuters) -Flutter raised its full-year guidance after a much better than expected second quarter and said it would not hit customers with a surcharge in high-tax U.S. states, shortly after which rival betting firm DraftKings dropped plans to do so.

Flutter's U.S. shares, where it recently moved its primary listing, were 11% higher in extended trading after the world's largest online betting firm said it expects to beat its previous forecast for a jump of around 30% in full-year core profit.

The Dublin-based group, whose brands also include Paddy Power and Betfair in Britain and Sportsbet in Australia, said adjusted core profit rose 17% in the second quarter.

Flutter's U.S. FanDuel brand and DraftKings are by far the biggest players in the booming U.S. market with a combined share of around 70% and investors were closely watching Flutter's response to the charge DraftKings announced on Aug. 2.

At the time, DraftKings' CEO compared the plans to similar charges in the hotel or taxi industry and hoped it would offset the cost of operating in states such as New York, which has a tax rate of 51% on gambling revenues.

"We always listen to our customers and after hearing their feedback we have decided not to move forward with the gaming tax surcharge," DraftKings said in a statement released after Flutter's results.

While analysts had said DraftKings' plans could boost cash flow, they warned it also risked losing market share if rivals did not follow suit. The charge would have applied to customers' winnings in the four states that currently tax gaming revenues at 20% or more.

Flutter CEO Peter Jackson said the best response to higher taxes, based on its experience in the more established European market, was to cut local marketing or moderate customer offers, as it plans to do in response to recent tax hikes in Illinois.

Flutter said on Tuesday that it now expects full-year core profit of $680 million to $800 million at market-leading FanDuel versus the $635 million to $785 million seen in March and last year's $167 million, which was its first full year of profitability in the rapidly growing market.

Core profit of $1.69 billion to $1.85 billion is now seen in its other global markets including Britain and Australia. That compares to the $1.63 billion to $1.83 billion forecast previously.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by David Gregorio and Jamie Freed)