Sportsbook gets new wings
DraftKings has taken its rivalry with FanDuel to new heights after inking a sports betting partnership with Delta Air Lines.
Ed Bastian announced collaboration at CES in Las Vegas
The CEO of the Atlanta, Georgia-based airline Ed Bastian announced the DraftKings collaboration at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) hosted at the Las Vegas Sphere.
The CES shared Bastian’s Wednesday keynote via X, in which the CEO announced the deal by introducing show attendee and CEO of DraftKings, Jason Robins:
Bastian stated that since gaming has become “a part of life for millions, you shouldn’t have to hit pause while in the sky.”
In-flight gambling?
Despite in-flight gambling currently being banned in the US, the return of Donald Trump to power is enough incentive to test the waters of a market worth a potential $1.3bn
On Wednesday, Bastian stated Delta’s partnership with DraftKings will leverage “the deep expertise Jason and his team have developed over the past decade” to build on the airline’s games portfolio available on Delta Sync and seatback screens.
While Bastian didn’t provide further details on the DraftKings deal, passengers will likely see the crown branding somewhere during their in-flight experience.
partnership to “look more like SkyMiles-earning for sports betting.”
Frequent flyer expert Gary Leff, however, expects the partnership to “look more like SkyMiles-earning for sports betting.”
Leff added on his frequent flyer-focused website that “a much more innovative approach would be to offer SkyMiles redemption for gambling as well.”
Billions beckon
In 1996, the US Department of Transportation’s study into in-flight gambling determined airlines could earn “$1.3 billion per year for an 800 plane airline.”
Fast-forward to a boomtime for American sports betting, add Delta’s fleet of almost 1,000 airplanes and DraftKings’ ongoing battle for market leadership with FanDuel, and in-flight angle becomes a potentially lucrative new revenue stream.
Leff stated he “wouldn’t be surprised to see Delta test the waters in conversation with a Trump administration over online gambling.”