Survival as much as maximized profits was the driving force behind the merger proposal of daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel Inc. With the deal now quashed in the wake of the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust concerns, the two companies are left facing an uncertain future.

The main motivation for the two giants in the industry could now be to reduce the uncertainty that clouds their prospects for growth and stability.

That uncertainty — from the games' legality and the cost of lobbying in multiple states and fighting courtroom battles to achieve clarity on that front — remains the single biggest obstacle the two sites face.