Once sports betting was open to the entire United States via individual state legislation, DraftKings wasted no time adding to their daily fantasy sports operations. The company quickly jumped into sports betting and continues to spread their services across the United States. The brand is set to go live in Indiana this week and soon in Pennsylvania.
Indiana Gaming
The Indiana Gaming Commission reached a last-minute decision recently, allowing DraftKings to launch online sports betting services in the state via a partnership with Penn National Gaming. The newly regulated industry will now welcome the online operations, giving players access to sports betting on the go. Their partner, Penn National, operates the Ameristar East Chicago in Indiana.
The approval was given yesterday, and the new offering will join existing online sports betting operations of Rush Street Interactive and French Lick Casino. They were the first to launch the betting services online in the state.
Lawmakers approved sports betting in early 2019, allowing all 13 land-based gaming venues the chance to offer retail wagering. September 1st was the launch date for land-based services, which came just in time for the new NFL season.
Pennsylvania Launch
While DraftKings will be live online in Indiana this week, the company will have to wait another month before they go live in Pennsylvania. They are currently awaiting approval to go live with their mobile betting option in the state.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved a retail sportsbook for The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, which is located in the vicinity of Pittsburgh. A testing phase will run next week for two days and then a grand opening will take place if the property is approved.
The casino is operated by DraftKings partner Penn National Gaming and their online sector, Penn Interactive. DraftKings will be in charge of the property’s online and mobile operations. They must obtain approval from the board before they can move forward with operations. The application submitted to the board by DraftKings should be reviewed by the end of the month during the October 30th meeting.
As the brand gets ready to launch in Indiana and soon Pennsylvania, they already offer sports betting services in four states. They began quickly in New Jersey once sports betting was legalized, providing wagering services since August of last year. They then moved into New York via the del Lago Resort & Casino.
The company also offers sports betting services in Mississippi at the Scarlet Pearl Casino and online in West Virginia. The brand has been quite successful in their venture to change from a daily fantasy only provider to branching out into sports betting as well as online casino gaming.
The brand has perhaps seen the most success thus far in New Jersey. They were able to quickly become a leader in the sports betting industry and eventually added to their offering by providing players with access to online casino games.
As more states begin to legalize sports betting it will not be surprising to see DraftKings name at the top of the list for new operators ready to get started offering their services via casino partnerships.
