Sports betting and daily fantasy sports company DraftKings is close to an agreement for a marketing partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
Legal Sports Report is not aware of the scope of the negotiations or the potential deal, and whether it includes anything beyond marketing.
Buffalo Wild Wings has expressed interest in entering the sports betting space; DraftKings offers DFS in most of the country and recently opened the DraftKings Sportsbook in New Jersey for online sports betting.
DraftKings + Buffalo Wild Wings?
Buffalo Wild Wings has gotten a lot of media attention this week for its flirtation with sports gambling. The company told ESPN that it is “uniquely positioned to leverage sports gaming to enhance the restaurant experience for our guests.”
DraftKings, of course, would be a pretty natural “sports gaming” partner. It offers DFS in much of the US; it was also first to market with an NJ sports betting app. While it has no imminent plans to go live for sports wagering in other states, DraftKings certainly has designs on doing so.
The partnership, no matter how extensive, would make sense on a lot of levels; the opportunities for synergy between the two companies who focus on sports engagement are enormous.
Buffalo Wild Wings and sports betting?
Buffalo Wild Wings, if it’s serious about getting into the sports betting space, probably can’t go it alone for much of the US and likely can’t operate it itself. Don’t expect to see BWW kiosks for sports wagering in its restaurants around the country, for instance.
Anyone wanting to be involved in the sports betting supply chain will likely have to partner with existing casinos, tracks, lotteries or operators. BWW, obviously, is none of those things right now. DraftKings could potentially fill that need, if it comes to that.
Currently, sports wagering is legal only in Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi and Delaware. Pennsylvania and West Virginia both legalized wagering and expect to launch in the coming months. More states are likely to follow in 2019.
