DraftKings Becomes NBA’s New Authorized Sports Betting Operator
DraftKings, one of America’s leading online sportsbooks, has teamed up with the NBA to provide sports fans with accurate and actionable data that can be transferred into successful bets.
NBA and DraftKings Team Up for Data Partnership
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and American sports betting provider DraftKings have announced a multiyear partnership granting DraftKings with access to the league’s official betting data, thus becoming its licensed betting operator. Under the partnership, data will be accessible for consumer on the mobile platform and sportsbooks of the Boston-based sports contest provider.
The organizations said in a joint press release that their main objective will be to protect the integrity of the NBA games. Live betting for the NBA accounts for 70% of basketball wagerers’ live bets on DraftKings sportsbook – more than any other sport, the partners added.
Gambling Data Deals Become More Common
DraftKings becomes the second authorized sports betting operator for NBA after bookmaker William Hill entered in a similar agreement in October. Half-dozen other betting providers, among which are MGM and longtime daily fantasy sports rival FanDuel are permitted to make use of official betting data and NBA logos. And even though professional sports leagues have previously restrained from being associated to gambling events, they have now started to gain from daily fantasy sports and betting on games.
Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings, highlighted the global popularity of NBA games and the interest it draws among consumers across the entertainment industry. Kucharz added that the league’s engagement with legal sports betting further supports its consistent efforts to improve fan experience. The chief business officer also said that “being an Authorized Gaming Operator of the NBA will unlock for consumers.”
On the other hand, Scott Kaufman-Ross, Senior Vice President, Head of Fantasy & Gaming at NBA expressed the organization’s excitement of the deal and was confident that the partnership will bring authentic and enhanced gaming experience to fans, while at the same time will help the league to further protect the integrity of its games.
Apart from securing a major partnership, DraftKings soft-launched an online sportsbook in Pennsylvania on Monday, 4 November, after the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) gave green light to its sports betting license for Pennsylvania on Wednesday. After running various tests on 4, 5 and 6 November, the app can roll out 24/7 availability.
Timothy Dent, chief financial and compliance officer at DraftKings, said in a statement: “DraftKings is excited to receive our sports wagering operator license, moving us one step closer to bringing our top-rated online and mobile Sportsbook app to sports fans in Pennsylvania.”
Success in Pennsylvania
After the successful launch of the platform, Pennsylvania has become the fourth state in which DraftKings has online presence after New Jersey, West Virginia and Indiana. The betting provider also plans to release an online sportsbook in New Hampshire after gaining the New Hampshire Lottery’s RFP for sports betting.
In addition, there are five other online betting sites in Pennsylvania. The state’s sports betting scene was bolstered strongly in September following the NFL’s start, to go up to $194.5 mm from $109 mm in August. FanDuel — together with the Valley Forge Casino Resort — reported the biggest online win with a total of $85.1m.
Mike made his mark on the industry at a young age as a consultant to companies that would grow to become regulators. Now he dedicates his weekdays to his new project a the lead editor of GamblingNews.com, aiming to educate the masses on the latest developments in the gambling circuit.
