Following a five-day soft DraftKings Sportsbook launch, the app is now serving the public in New Jersey.
The DK Sportsbook account posted its first tweet this morning, announcing the official launch under what appears to be a new slogan: “Life’s more fun with skin in the game.”
As of today, @DraftKings is officially accepting bets. pic.twitter.com/sIKI5C8wzL
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) August 6, 2018
A press release from CEO Jason Robins confirmed the news:
I am excited to begin this new chapter in our story by officially launching what I believe to be the most innovative, mobile sports betting product in the U.S.
We have put immense thought and significant resources behind the development of DraftKings Sportsbook and I’m confident that sports fans in New Jersey will enjoy using it to make the experience of watching the games even more interesting and thrilling.
DraftKings is the first operator to roll out a mobile NJ sports betting platform. Bettors must be located within the state of New Jersey to place a wager on the app.
What to expect from DraftKings Sportsbook
At launch, the DraftKings Sportsbook is already competitive with the leading mobile apps in the industry. It offers nearly every available sport and type of wager, including a full suite of props and in-game betting options. DraftKings is also the first US operator to include a live-ticket system, in which every bet essentially becomes an in-play bet.
The soft launch didn’t receive rave reviews across the board, though. Baseball lines were too wide to be competitive on the app’s opening day, drawing a sour reaction from sports betting Twitter. Prices are a little better this week, though, with NFL lines opening on par with other markets.
The sportsbook was built on a partnership with Kambi and launched under the casino license of Resorts Atlantic City. If and when NY sports betting becomes legal, DraftKings also has a deal in place with del Lago there.
The DK Sportsbook app is available on both Android and iOS, and the desktop client is open for business, too. You can take an in-depth tour of the platform here.
Nearly a year in the making
DraftKings first made its plans for sports betting public on May 14 — the same day as the pivotal US Supreme Court ruling ending the federal ban on single-game sports wagering. Considering the comparative sizes of the two industries and the recent hiring of a Head of Sportsbook, it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Today, DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish told Legal Sports Report that development began well in advance of the ruling.
We started building our sportsbook product at the end of last year. That was sort of a big bet that the company was making, because we knew the Supreme Court was looking at the case that New Jersey had brought against PASPA.
We wanted to be ready in the event that legal, regulated sportsbooks in the US became an option in terms of a product that we could offer. We wanted to be ready to go as close to day one as possible with the launch of that product.
The product wasn’t quite ready from that first day, but it didn’t miss by much. Today marks the official launch, an impressive feat in such a contested marketplace. The daily fantasy sports company of around 500 people has beaten casino giants like MGM and Caesars in the race to mobile betting in NJ.
“It’s a huge day being able to launch to every single person based in New Jersey and take bets,” Kalish said.
