NEW YORK and BOSTON, Nov. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced an expanded multiyear relationship with DraftKings (Nasdaq: DKNG) to make the sports technology and entertainment company a co-official sports betting partner of the league. This agreement grants DraftKings expansive NBA rights and assets to integrate within its sports betting, daily fantasy sports, iGaming and free-to-play products and promotional offerings.
“DraftKings has demonstrated a clear commitment to strategically investing at the intersection of betting and content,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures, NBA. “We are excited to be expanding our relationship to include content initiatives like NBABet Stream to engage NBA fans in unique ways.”
Since teaming up initially in 2019 when DraftKings became an Authorized Gaming Operator (AGO) of the NBA, the two organizations have collaborated to deliver fan-first content and product experiences. With this expanded dynamic, DraftKings will now become the exclusive presenting sponsor of NBABet Stream, the league’s betting-focused telecast that is distributed via NBA League Pass and the NBA TV app. During this weekly alternative betting-focused broadcast, DraftKings odds, lines, props and other forms of gaming-centric content will become integrated into the live-game experience, and underscore the company’s continued evolution in the media and content spaces.
“The NBA season only just tipped off, and yet we have already seen the immediate impact of the sport among our customer base with significant reengagement along with healthy new betting activity across all of our states,” said Ezra Kucharz, Chief Business Officer at DraftKings. “All of this signals the rising demand for NBA basketball in its 75th anniversary season among sports bettors and daily fantasy players, and we are pleased to continuously collaborate with the league on new fan-centric platforms like our NBABet Stream integration.”
Per the deal, DraftKings will also have the right to activate on-site at tentpole NBA events including the NBA All-Star Game, Rising Stars, NBA All-Star Saturday Night and NBA Draft presented by State Farm. For NBA audiences in specific local markets, the sight of the DraftKings brand is recognizable during home games with digital displays around the court along with local broadcast integrations. In addition to its league relationship, DraftKings has teamed up with several NBA franchises including the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers to broaden awareness within these fanbases on both available products and responsible gaming.
NBA fans and others can learn more about the company’s responsible gaming efforts and charitable initiatives through its DraftKings S.E.R.V.E.S. program by visiting the website here.
Every NBA matchup this season will have betting markets and daily fantasy contests for eligible customers to enter as well as free-to-play pools available nationally. NBA fans can visit www.draftkings.com to explore offers or download the DraftKings apps via iOS and Android.
About DraftKings
DraftKings Inc. is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirit of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for operators in 17 countries. DraftKings’ Sportsbook is live with mobile and/or retail betting operations in the United States pursuant to regulations in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 7 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is both an official daily fantasy and sports betting partner of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA TOUR and UFC as well as an official daily fantasy partner of NASCAR. Launched in August 2021, DraftKings Marketplace is a digital collectibles ecosystem designed for mainstream accessibility that offers curated NFT drops and supports secondary-market transactions. DraftKings also owns Vegas Sports Information Network, Inc. (VSiN), a multi-platform broadcast and content company.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) also jointly operate the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2021-22 season featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 2.1 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
DraftKings Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside DraftKings’ control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see DraftKings’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings. DraftKings does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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