DraftKings Sportsbook Review
DraftKings is an American Daily Fantasy Sports and sports betting company that has been active for more than a decade. Founded in 2012, their claim to fame came on the back of Daily Fantasy Sports, also known as DFS. The concept rocketed to popularity right away, beginning only with NFL offerings. DFS appealed to a vast market at the time, largely because legal online sports betting in the United States wasn’t introduced until more than a half-decade later.
DFS were classified as games of “skill” rather than “chance,” so most states allowed DraftKings to operate within their lines. Though some states eventually took action to restrict DFS access, these cases were few and far between. That remains true even now. There is no legal sports betting in Texas, yet they do allow residents to use DraftKings and other DFS sites.
DraftKings eventually broadened their DFS offerings to include all of the other major North American sport leagues, including the NBA (basketball), NHL (hockey), MLB (baseball) and the PGA Tour (golf). Soon after, DraftKings branched out into the Premier League and UEFA Champions League (soccer), NASCAR (auto racing), mixed martial arts, tennis and wrestling.
Once the United States shifted their policy on legal sports betting back in 2018, the company launched DraftKings sportsbook in New Jersey. As other states followed suit, DraftKings sports betting became a staple. They have since been among the first mobile sports betting operators in Connecticut, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New Hampshire. Their retail sports betting services, meanwhile, are permitted in a handful of other states.
Now one of the few official sports betting partners of the NFL, as well as a primary partner for Disney-owned ESPN, DraftKings expects to turn in more than $2 billion of revenue during the year 2022. If reached, that projection would make it one of the most profitable sports betting operations in the world.
States Where DraftKings Offers Retail Betting
Back in 2018, the USA federal government amended sports betting laws and gave each individual state the power to legalize sports betting if they so choose. Since then, more than half of the 50 states—in addition to Washington, D.C.—have given the green light. DraftKings retail sports betting is not up and running in all of them, but the states that do allow it are listed below:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
DraftKings Mobile Betting per US State
State | Mobile Betting | Retail Betting |
Arizona | ✅ | ❌ |
Colorado | ✅ | ✅ |
Connecticut | ✅ | ✅ |
Illinois | ❌ | ✅ |
Indiana | ✅ | ✅ |
Iowa | ✅ | ✅ |
Kansas | ✅ | ❌ |
Kentucky | Coming Soon | ❌ |
Louisiana | ✅ | ✅ |
Massachusetts | ✅ | ❌ |
Michigan | ✅ | ❌ |
New Hampshire | ✅ | ✅ |
New Jersey | ✅ | ✅ |
New York | ✅ | ✅ |
Oregon | ✅ | ❌ |
Pennsylvania | ✅ | ✅ |
Tennessee | ✅ | ❌ |
Virginia | ✅ | ❌ |
Washington | ❌ | ✅ |
West Virginia | ✅ | ✅ |
Wyoming | ✅ | ❌ |
DraftKings Sportsbook Features
Anyone who legally bets on sports in the United States has a wide range of markets to choose from when visiting the DraftKings Sportsbook. While they are best known as one of the flagship betting sites for NFL football, they offer lines on every other major North American sport and plenty of international markets. Their complete list of sports betting options includes:
- NFL Betting
- College Football
- NBA Betting
- NCAAF
- College Basketball
- NHL Betting
- MLB Betting
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Darts
- Golf
- Handball
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Motorsports
- Rugby
- Snooker
- Soccer
- Table tennis
- Tennis
- Pop Culture
The desktop version of DraftKings sportsbook is fairly comprehensive, in part because the company first cut their teeth outside the mobile sports betting universe. The registration process can be a little tedious and will inundate you with promotions you don’t actually need to see, but it’s otherwise quick and painless. The user interface design is simple and easy to navigate, as well.
Building bet slips on the desktop site, however, often becomes a headache. There are too many steps involved to cobble together parlays, and the live betting odds section could use more subcategories.
Meanwhile, the selection of international live betting odds is on the thinner side. DraftKings sportsbook offers comprehensive in-match options for most major international soccer leagues, but they don’t have nearly as many choices in the lower-level leagues or for any other international sports, including basketball, tennis, golf, etc.
DraftKings Mobile Betting
Working your way through the DraftKings mobile betting app is pretty straightforward. Signing up for an account and processing transactions is just as quick as it is on the desktop site, and the user interface is equally clear with its labels.
The Draftkings mobile betting app definitely outstrips the
desktop site when it comes to actual wagering. Their parlay builders are more intuitive, and the live betting lines get updated more frequently on the DraftKings app.
DraftKings Customer Service
The goal of DraftKings customer service is to automate any troubleshooting. Their contact page takes you through an extensive list of frequently asked questions and topics. If that doesn’t address your issue, they ask you to fill out a form with information and will have a customer service representative contact you at a later date, most likely via email.
There is DraftKings live customer service for you to try. It’s offered in a small oval box in the lower right hand corner of both the desktop site and mobile betting app. But the “customer service rep” is automated, and you must go through a series of questions before having your issue directed to a live person.