ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (AP) – In the “players will bet on absolutely anything” category, here’s a new one: an important sports book bets on drone races.
DraftKings said on Friday that it will bet for this weekend’s Drone Racing League championship, in which the pilots fly aerial drones in races.
League drone bets are legal in Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee and West Virginia, with regulatory approvals pending in other states.
“The sky is now the limit for DRL fans to get their skin in the game and we’re excited to work with DraftKings to turn our high-speed racing competition into the ultimate sport to bet on,” said Drone Racing League President Rachel Jacobson. . “The opportunity for us to lift our commitment through all forms of gaming and gambling will only increase as mobile betting is adopted across the country.”
The sports book and league host “pre-flight performances” on Twitter on Friday night ahead of live events, in which expert sports bettors and top drone pilots will educate fans on how to participate.
The championship events start on Saturday.
Jacobson said his flights are virtual this year, taking place in a simulation that incorporates real-life drone physics. But it also hosts live drone races at venues that have included Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida; Alexandra Palace in London and a car museum in Munich.
DraftKings says there is a market for this. Last year, it offered free drone racing competitions to assess interest in the activity, and the response was 30% higher than usual for a new sport introduced on the betting platform. So far there have been over 150,000 entries in these free contests.
As with major sports, including football, baseball and basketball, players will be able to place bets before and during races.
DraftKings said consumer research has shown that drone fans are three times more likely to place a bet than fans of major sports leagues and are 90% more likely to be interested in sports betting in general than average sports fans. .
The Drone League is a private company in New York, founded in 2015. It has organized events in six countries.
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