DraftKings has entered a multi-year partnership with the National Basketball Association which sees the organisation named as authorised sports betting operator of the league.
During the course of the link-up both parties will work together on best-in-class practices to protect the integrity of NBA games, beginning with the current 2019/20 season.
Furthermore, DraftKings will have also access to official NBA betting data and league marks across its mobile platform and in its sportsbooks throughout the United States.
“We are excited to team with DraftKings, who has established itself as one of the leaders in the sports betting landscape in the US and has a passionate NBA following,” Scott Kaufman-Ross, senior vice president and head of fantasy and gaming at the NBA, said of the new agreement.
“Our partnership will provide our fans with an authentic and enhanced gaming experience and help us further protect the integrity of our games.”
DraftKings stresses that the partnership will further refine its NBA category, which it says “currently ranks among the most popular offerings for its customers”.
The firm also lauds live betting as “a critical component of sports betting technology and the future of the industry,” with NBA more prevalent that any other sport on the DraftKings Sportsbook. More than 70 per cent of NBA bettors have live-wagered, while nearly 45 per cent of NBA handle has come from in-play bets.
“NBA games are among the most captivating, dramatic and widely-consumed sports entertainment products globally, and the advocacy of the league around legal sports betting further demonstrates its consistent foresight to innovate for the betterment of the fan experience,” commented Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings.
“The correlation between sports betting and fan engagement is proven, and we look forward to the opportunities that being an authorised gaming operator of the NBA will unlock for consumers.”
