DraftKings first made a name for itself as a Daily Sports Fantasy League site. In recent years, the Boston-based company expanded into the sports betting industry. Late in June, it announced the launch of its stand-alone online casino app in the state of New Jersey.
Leveraging its own in-house technology, this is a significant step in the company’s continued expansion into the online gaming industry. Increased interest in real money online casinos received a major boost in March when most land-based casinos were forced to close their doors to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus.
Riding that wave, DraftKings decided to make this project a top priority. Jason March is DraftKings’ Vice President of Gaming. He released the following comments which were picked up by multiple media sources at the time.
We are thrilled to break new ground for DraftKings in the gaming space today with the launch of DraftKings Casino app. The company’s first perennial product that operates year-round irrespective of the annual sports schedules.
As far as the company’s future plans for the online gambling market, he added:
Following our debut in the Garden State, we look forward to continued innovation, nationwide expansion where regulations allow and to further positioning DraftKings as an all-inclusive gaming and entertainment experience.
The app will feature casino games that are exclusive to DraftKings. It will also feature options to play Blackjack and Roulette as the two most popular casino table games. DraftKings went live with online casino capabilities in Pennsylvania back in April, where other providers such as Hollywood Casino, Unibet and Parx Casino were also established, and DraftKings discovered that 70 percent of its casino customers turned to its branded games to place their initial bet.
This experience along with related studies into legal online gambling habits and traits demonstrated the need to develop branded gaming products. This can also enhance the customer experience through a unique and customized approach.
Quite a bit of research and in-house preparation went into this stand-alone version of DraftKings online casino. The company has had these capabilities since 2018 through New Jersey sports betting apps. This latest move is designed to expand the scope of its own casino app moving forward.
As part of the new casino app, players will also have access to games from third-party content providers. The shortlist includes popular gaming options from:
- IGT
- Slingo
- Scientific Games
The app will also offer Live Casino capabilities via the DraftKings Live Studio. Perhaps the fastest-growing segment of the online casino industry, live-dealer options for table games such as Blackjack and Roulette have successfully bridged the gap between online play and play in a land-based casino.
Following tremendous success in daily fantasy leagues and the success of the DraftKings Sportsbook, DraftKings understands the value in creating a significant presence in the iGaming sector. The increased interest in online gambling due to COVID-19 was just the push the company needed to move in that direction.
New Jersey experienced a 124.1 percent increase in its online gaming and its New Jersey online casino revenue in the month of May. June’s numbers should be equally impressive as Atlantic City casinos remained closed.
