ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (AP) – In the “bettors betting on absolutely everything” category, here’s a new one: a major sportsbook takes bets on drone races in the air.
DraftKings said Friday it is taking bets for this weekend’s Drone Racing League championship, which will see pilots flying drones in races.
Betting on the competition’s drone races is legal in Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia, with regulatory approvals pending in other states.
“The sky is now the limit for DRL fans to get skin in the game, and we are excited to partner with DraftKings to transform our fast-paced racing competition into the ultimate sport to bet on,” said Rachel Jacobson, Chairman of the Drone Racing League. . “The opportunity for us to increase our engagement through all forms of gambling and gambling will only increase as mobile gambling becomes more accepted across the country.”
The Sportsbook and League will host Friday night ‘pre-flight shows’ on Twitter ahead of the live events, where expert sports bettors and top drone pilots will teach fans how to participate.
Championship events start on Saturday.
Jacobson said this year’s races are all virtual and take place in a simulation that incorporates real-life drone physics. But live drone races are also held at locations such as the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida; Alexandra Palace in London and a car museum in Munich.
DraftKings says there is a market for this. It offered free competitions on drone races last year to gauge interest in the activity, and response was 30% higher than normal for a new sport introduced on the betting platform. There have been over 150,000 entries to these free contests to date.
As with major sports such as football, baseball and basketball, bettors can place bets both before and during the races.
DraftKings said consumer research has shown that fans of drone sports are three times more likely to place a bet than fans of major sports leagues, and are 90% more likely to bet on sports overall than the average sports fan.
The drone league is a privately held New York company, founded in 2015. It has held events in six countries.
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