Sports betting first
The Drone Racing League (DRL) announced that DraftKings is now an official sports betting partner of the organization. As a result of the partnership, DRL races will be the first aerial sporting events on which people will be able to place bets.?The DRL took to Twitter on Friday to announce the deal:
At the moment, betting on these races is legal in West Virginia, Tennessee, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Colorado. There is also pending approval from gaming regulators in other states. This new agreement comes just in time for the last of the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship Season’s races, which begin on Saturday. The races will air live on NBC, Facebook, and Twitter.
DraftKings believes that it can access a new type of audience through this deal. According to consumer research, fans of drone racing are 90% likelier to have an interest in sports betting than the average traditional sports fan. DraftKings previously offered free-to-play pools on DRL races and saw a significant amount of interest.?
Details of the agreement
Per the agreement, DraftKings will get exclusive marketing rights with sports betting, as well as branding integrations during the DRL season. Fans will also gain access to betting markets both pre-race and in-race in states where this type of betting is legal.
In advance of the final races of the 2020 season, DRL and DraftKings will host broadcasts previewing the events. These broadcasts will educate viewers on how to begin betting on the races, as well as make predictions about the upcoming action.
transform our high-speed race competition into the ultimate sport to bet on”
Speaking about the new partnership, DRL president Rachel Jacobson said: “we’re thrilled to partner with DraftKings to transform our high-speed race competition into the ultimate sport to bet on.”
Jacobson believes that this arrangement will be a great way to increase engagement as legal mobile betting grows around the country.
DraftKings chief business officer Ezra Kucharz talked about how fast DRL is scaling its business and that the sportsbook operator is excited to get involved at this point in time. He stated: “Our expertise in sports betting combined with DRL’s stats-packed competition will make this a fun and seamless opportunity to engage their avid audience.”
Growing popularity
The Drone Racing League started back in 2015 as a professional organization for elite first-person view pilots. It has garnered a lot of attention lately, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the shutdown of major sports in April, lesser-known organizations such as the DRL rose to prominence as ways for sports fans to still enjoy live sports competitions.
As a result of the growing popularity, rival sports betting operator FanDuel signed its own partnership with the DRL in April. This launched as a free-to-play fantasy offering rather than traditional betting markets.