Leading daily fantasy and sports betting operator DraftKings is launching its online wagering solution in Pennsylvania on Monday, November 4.
Fresh Launch for DraftKings in Pennsylvania
DraftKings is launching its mobile app today, Monday, November 4. The sports betting operator has been preparing for the soft-launch of its intuitive mobile solution for a while now. The company’s app has already sent ripples in New Jersey, one of the most-developed sports wagering markets in the state.
The company secured a Sports Wagering Operator License from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) on October 30, when the industry monitoring body gave green-light to the company to proceed with rolling its app. Whilst Pennsylvania has had sports betting since 2017, the Keystone State has taken a while to introduce mobile wagering.
DraftKings’ Footprint Across the U.S.
Beginning today, DraftKings will debut its mobile platform and run tests for several days. Should everything go according to plan, DraftKings will then proceed with going live with the full offer, becoming the 6th brand in the state to offer mobile wagers.
DraftKings will work with Penn National Gaming over the next decade, after the two parties agreed to a 10-year partnership deal for Pennsylvania, anticipating a strong growth for the PA sports betting market.
It has been an important milestone for DraftKings as well, as Pennsylvania is the 4th state in which the company has launched its online betting platform. In some places, DraftKings has been falling behind FanDuel, but the playfield has been kept relatively level.
DraftKings also recently launched in West Virginia and Indiana and secured a deal with the NFL, becoming the league’s official daily fantasy sports (DFS) partner. Before sports wagering became regulated in the United States, DraftKings and FanDuel ran exclusively as DFS operators.
Now DraftKings has the opportunity to benefit from a market that has been clearly focusing on the mobile experience. To put things in perspective, the PGCB reported that estimated 80% of all wagers were processed via a mobile device, revealing the immense potential of the segment in September. A month before that in August, the Inquirer reported that online gambling had driven a 28% increase in July.
September results stood strong and the market generated $194.5 million in wagers placed throughout the month.
Pennsylvania Welcomes PokerStars
This Monday is important for another reason. The Stars Group’s card room, PokerStars, is also launching in the state today, giving a headstart to the long-anticipated and somewhat deferred online poker industry in the Keystone State.
Many PA-based players expressed gratitude and relief that PokerStars will finally open, allowing them to shift their attention from offshore sportsbooks back into the mainland. Some qualms have been expressed by players whether there would be enough participants to guarantee decent prize pools.
While offshore card rooms come with many drawbacks, including uncertainty about the deposits and withdrawals, they are still a preferred destination among card players in the U.S., owing to the multi-million tournaments available.