Judge temporarily halts daily fantasy sports merger

A federal judge has temporarily halted the planned merger between daily fantasy sports companies FanDuel and DraftKings.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved a temporary restraining order that was agreed upon Tuesday by the two companies and the Federal Trade Commission.

Without the order, the merger could have been completed Tuesday, court records show.

The FTC, along with the attorneys general of California and the District of Columbia, oppose the merger because they say it creates a company controlling more than 90 percent of the U.S. market for paid daily fantasy sports contests.

A spokesman for the companies didn't immediately comment.

Daily fantasy sports contests are online games in which players build rosters of real-life athletes and compete for cash and other prizes.