Multi-channel deal includes daily fantasy sports

DraftKings and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation have joined forces in a multi-channel deal ahead of the anticipated debut of legal sports betting in Connecticut.

The partnership means the Massachusetts-based sports betting giant will power retail and online sports wagering at the tribe’s Foxwoods Resort Casino and also offer mobile gaming, subject to necessary state legislative and regulatory approvals.

DraftKings, which announced the partnerships’ preparation for online sports wagering on Twitter, will also become Foxwoods’ first official daily fantasy sports partner when it launches on December 13.

According to The Day, a Connecticut daily newspaper and online news provider, State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) has said she will “submit another version” of the sports betting and online gaming bill, SB 21, before the state legislature in January 2021.

Tribe ready to rumble

In a news release, Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, said that linking up with DraftKings placed the tribe in the pole position in the gaming and entertainment industry.

the tribe is now “ready to drive sports wagering and online gaming for the state of Connecticut”

Butler said the tribe is now “ready to drive sports wagering and online gaming for the state of Connecticut […] bolster our economy with much-needed revenue and virtual entertainment.”

“If not for the pandemic, I think we would have gotten it passed last year,” The Day quotes Butler as saying. Butler was making reference to the 2020 bill introduced by Senator Osten, the state leader who continues to spearhead efforts for the state to legalize sports betting.

While a DraftKings news release says the agreement has made Connecticut over $8bn in revenue to date, it projects that sports betting and online gaming could generate the state $175m in new revenue over five years, once all the legislation passes muster.

DraftKings extends territorial front

With the Mashantucket deal, DraftKings has made a strategic territorial advance across the Eastern Seaboard. In addition to Connecticut, it holds positions in New England, New Jersey, and the New York Tri-State area.

Co-founder and president of DraftKings North America, Matt Kalish, said the US-wide expansion of legal sports wagering was among his company’s foremost strategic objectives, and that the “landmark deal” was a “critical next step.”

DraftKings today is live with mobile sports betting in 10 states, more than any other operator”

“DraftKings today is live with mobile sports betting in 10 states, more than any other operator in the U.S […] the tribe will allow us to extend our reach even further,” Kalish said.

Interim CEO and president of Foxwoods Resort Casino, Jason Guyot, said merging his casino’s 29-year gaming experience with DraftKings’ “deep digital expertise” will enable Foxwoods to remain at the vanguard of gaming innovation, within and beyond the region.

“Offering daily fantasy sports allows us to bring a new type of compelling and interactive online experience to our passionate sport fans,” Guyot added.