DraftKings Inc. and the Drone Racing League on Friday said DraftKings now is the official sports betting partner of the DRL.
Mobile sports betting on DRL races currently is legal in Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee and West Virginia, with regulatory approvals pending in other states.
The deal gives DraftKings exclusive marketing rights on sports betting and branding integrations, including custom gates, through the culmination of the current 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship Season. Both pre-race wagers and in-race live bets will be available for fans in approved states.
The deal was reached one day before the final races of the DRL season on 8 January. DraftKings and DRL will host pre-flight shows on Twitter, with sports bettors and drone pilots educating fans on how to participate.
DraftKings, which has been building business in the motorsports and esports sportsbook categories, said it believes the DRL “will bring an entirely new audience of fans to gaming.” The company cited consumer research that found drone racing fans are three times more likely to place a bet than fans of major sports leagues and 90% more likely to be interested in sports betting than the average global sports fan.
DraftKings had offered DRL races to its customers as a free-to-play pool during the 2020 season.
“The sky is now the limit for DRL fans to get skin in the game, and we are thrilled to partner with DraftKings,” DRL president Rachel Jacobson said in a statement. “The opportunity for us to elevate our engagement through all forms of gaming and gambling will only increase as mobile betting becomes more adopted across the country.”
Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer, DraftKings, added: “DRL is scaling their business as fast as their drone races, and we are excited to be flying with them.”
