DraftKings has already made its mark on the legalized sports betting landscape in the United States, as the company operates the most successful online betting app in New Jersey. Now, the daily fantasy sports giant is looking to get into the land-based side of the industry as well, starting with a retail location in Mississippi.
DraftKings announced on Monday that it had reached an agreement with the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’lberville, Mississippi, to officially open a sportsbook at the venue this Friday.
Crowded Mississippi Market
The plan will see the existing PRL Bar at the resort be converted into a sportsbook with three betting windows. DraftKings also plans to offer kiosks and on-site mobile betting, pending regulatory approval.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, whose leadership has a high bar for quality and a forward-thinking approach to sports betting,” DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish said in a statement. “We’re excited to bring and offer an innovative sports betting experience to sports fans in one of the largest and most competitive gaming markets in the US.”
For the casino, partnering with DraftKings will allow them to quickly get a competitive sportsbook up and running, which would have been difficult without outside assistance.
“We’re going to be able to offer a lot of different bets that it would have been very difficult for us to do on our own,” Scarlet Pearl CEO LuAnn Pappas told Bloomberg.
Mississippi has been offering sports betting at casinos throughout the state since Aug. 1. There are now more than 20 sportsbooks that are active in Mississippi, though unlike in New Jersey, betting is only allowed at the casinos themselves – with mobile wagering allowed as long as players are on-site.
Expanding Land-Based Operations
Since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May, several states have already joined Nevada in offering a full range of sports bets. Delaware was the first, but has since been joined by New Jersey, West Virginia, Mississippi, and most recently New Mexico, where tribal casinos are now offering sports wagering.
Several more states are expected to begin allowing sportsbooks to operate soon. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island have both passed legislation that will allow for sports betting, while Arkansas voters approved the legalization of sports wagering on Election Day. More than a dozen other states have at least considered bills that would allow sportsbooks to proliferate.
DraftKings would presumably like to move into as many of these markets as possible, and while their progress has been slow so far, there are certainly encouraging signs for the company.
Along with their online sportsbook app in New Jersey, DraftKings will be opening a live retail location at the Resorts Casino Hotel next week. The company also has a deal with the Del Lago Resort in New York to operate a sportsbook once regulatory measures are passed in the state, and has a license in West Virginia, though it does not yet have a casino or racetrack to partner with there.
