On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams are joined by DraftKings CEO Jason Robins to discuss the company’s rapid growth, and what might come next as the lines between sports betting, media and e-commerce start to blur.
Originally a daily fantasy sports company, DraftKings has expanded its offerings in recent years to include sports betting and online casino games, or iGaming. Robins calls the company an “entertainment platform,” and describes where in the business world he looks for inspiration.
“We talk about Amazon a lot,” he said. “There are a lot of parallels there too. They have a customer, they have the customer’s payment info on file, and unlike other types of tech companies that are advertising-driven, they’re primarily transaction-driven. A lot of things that we look at that they did are great lessons.”
Robins also talks about a pair of company milestones from earlier in the week. On Monday, DraftKings announced a $1.56 billion all-stock deal to acquire the Golden Nugget iGaming business, a deal that should dramatically increase its reach in games like online blackjack. The acquisition will help DraftKings appeal to a different demographic, Robins said, with many Golden Nugget customers being outside DraftKings’ established sports fan user base.
This week DraftKings also launched its marketplace function, a platform within its app where people can buy, sell and trade digital collectibles. Those products come in partnership with Autograph, the digital collectible company co-founded by Tom Brady.
This episode is presented by Marsh, a global leader in risk management. Click here to read Marsh’s full report on safely re-opening stadiums.
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