شاهد.. نادية لطفى حاربت شارون في فلسطين وقصتها مع المخابرات

(Adds quote from CEO, background on deal and companies)
    WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - FanDuel Chief Executive
Nigel Eccles said on Thursday his company and DraftKings would
terminate a planned merger after a legal challenge by U.S.
antitrust enforcers.
    The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in June that it would
seek to stop the deal because the combined company would control
more than 90 percent of the U.S. market for paid daily fantasy
sports contests.
    "We have determined that it is in the best interest of our
shareholders, customers, employees and partners to terminate the
merger agreement and move forward as an independent company," he
said.
    The lawsuit by the trade commission was just the latest
setback for the two companies, which have faced regulatory
challenges in several states. They announced the deal in
November as a merger of equals. [nL1N1DJ17R]
    The tie-up was aimed at reducing costs as both companies
separately fund legal defenses and lobby for legislation to
authorize fantasy sports in states that have declared it
illegal. Without a merger, the companies may have to go back to
outspending each other to win customers.
    The companies have a history of aggressive advertising as
they battled for market share. But they cut ad spending
significantly in 2016 and said a combined company could again
expand spending on advertising to attract new customers.
    Modern fantasy sports started in 1980 and have exploded
online. To play, participants create teams that compete over an
entire season of professional sports, including American
football, baseball, basketball and hockey.
    Daily fantasy sports, a faster version of the season-long
game, have developed over the past decade into a
multibillion-dollar industry. Participants draft teams for a
single game, enabling fans to spend money on contests more
frequently.

 (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Bill Trott)
 ((Diane.Bartz@thomsonreuters.com; 1 202 898 8313;))

Keywords: FANDUEL M&A/DRAFTKINGS (UPDATE 1)