DraftKings Becomes An Official Sports Betting And Daily Fantasy Partner Of The WNBA
With the backdrop of the WNBA All-Star Game this weekend and an increase in women’s sports betting, the league and DraftKings announced a new partnership. The digital sports entertainment and gaming company is now an official sports betting and daily fantasy Partner of the WNBA.
The league previously inked a similar deal with market leader FanDuel, which was extended in 2022. According to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EGK), FanDuel has 35% of the national online sports betting market, with DraftKings right behind at 32%. The two operators have exchanged places in the past year. DraftKings overtook FanDuel in the third quarter of 2023, but FanDuel returned to the top spot the following quarter.
Some teams have their own deals with sportsbooks
DraftKings was a marquee partner of the New York Liberty in 2015. The company’s logo also appeared on team jerseys. Since then, the Liberty has undergone an ownership and venue change.
The Connecticut Sun and the Phoenix Mercury play at arenas with on-site sportsbooks. The Mohegan Sun Tribe owns the Sun and has a FanDuel-branded sportsbook. The team plays at the massive Mohegan Sun casino complex. The Phoenix Mercury’s home, Footprint Center, has a FanDuel sportsbook that opened in 2021.
Online sports betting is legal in 30 states, plus Washington, DC. However, it is illegal in California and Texas, the two largest states with WNBA teams.
DraftKings Partnership Details
As part of the agreement announced today, DraftKings will gain rights to league and collective team intellectual property. The company will also have access to marketing, activation, and hospitality opportunities around league events, such as the All-Star Game. DraftKings will use official WNBA data feeds to support fans’ gameplay experience. This builds on DraftKings’ existing partnership with the NBA, which began in 2021.
Lisa Leslie, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and DraftKings Talent Ambassador, expressed her excitement about the collaboration. “Having worked alongside both DraftKings and the WNBA, I am thrilled to see these innovative brands come together and further enhance excitement and visibility around women’s sports,” Leslie said. “The WNBA is rapidly expanding its reach and DraftKings has an unmatched ability to further generate additional fan engagement. I am looking forward to seeing DraftKings elevate the WNBA’s fan experience in the midst of this record-breaking season.”
The partnership will provide DraftKings with increased media exposure on the WNBA’s digital and linear media platforms. DraftKings will also serve as the presenting partner of the “WNBA Postseason Push,” a new content platform featuring league highlights, social integrations, and odds updates focused on the latest WNBA standings during the final two weeks of the regular season in September.
Colie Edison, WNBA Chief Growth Officer, commented on the partnership’s potential benefits. “The WNBA is growing and expanding across the board, and partnering with industry leaders like DraftKings enables us to offer WNBA fans additional ways to engage with their favorite teams and players, responsibly and with integrity,” Edison said. “This opportunity for DraftKings to lean in with us to support women’s sports will welcome more fans to the WNBA. We’re looking forward to working alongside DraftKings to further enhance innovation and equity in women’s sports.”
Sports betting is one way the league has built viewership, especially in light of the popularity of this year’s rookie class, with names like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese galvanizing fans to buy tickets and merchandise and tune in via TV and streaming services.
In the words of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert earlier this year:
“It’s an important way to grow our viewership. The one thing I know about sports, you need household names, rivalries, and games of consequence. Those are the three things we’ve had over the past couple weeks, and hopefully, will continue into the WNBA season. Certainly, sports betting is something that attracts fans in.”
