DraftKings aiming to become king of online sports betting
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Jason Robins, the chief executive of DraftKings, is a busy fellow in the days ahead of the Super Bowl.
“This is our holiday season,” he said over the phone.
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DraftKings aiming to become king of online sports betting Back to video
DraftKings, the daily-fantasy giant that made a fairly seamless transition into an online sportsbook a few years ago when the legal landscape changed in the United States, was operating only in New Jersey for Super Bowl XLVIII. Last year, they were in five states. This year, 12. Dozens more states are considering some form of legalized gambling.
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Robins won’t say whether his sportsbook now outpaces its daily-fantasy, but he allows that legalized sports betting in the U.S. has “definitely been transformative.”
And while he also won’t disclose how many bets his company is taking on Super Bowl LV, he did offer that 70% of the point-spread bets are going on Kansas City, giving three points. As for MVP bets, 35% like Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and 29% are on Tom Brady of the Bucs.
DraftKings has disclosed one particular bet: The $3.46-million US wager placed by the Houston-area mattress salesman known as Mattress Mack. Infamous for losing millions of dollars on Houston Astros bets in 2019 — he offered a promotion where mattress buyers would have their purchase refunded if the Astros won, so the bets were in effect his insurance against it — Mattress Mack flew from Texas to Colorado Springs to place his bet with DraftKings. (The company does not operate a sportsbook in Texas.) He placed his big wager on the Bucs +3.5, and customers who took part in his promotion will get refunds if Brady and the Bucs win.
If K.C. wins by less than 3.5, Mack would both win the bet and not have to refund any mattresses — the classic middle.
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DraftKings’ daily-fantasy product is available in Canada, where the federal government is considering legislation that would legalize single-event sports betting in this country.
“Maybe by this time next year, we’ll talking about placing bets on the Super Bowl in Canada,” he said.
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