DraftKings Leads the Way With In-Game Betting

Once upon a time, DraftKings was a world leader when it came to providing Daily Fantasy Sports wagering access. They still sit on that lofty perch but have also established themselves as prominent sports betting and online gambling operators. It makes perfect sense that as In-game, (live wagering during the game) is taking off in the U.S., DraftKings would quickly establish itself as a leader in that domain as well.

In a survey recently run by the Jeffries Company, it was made clear that U.S. sports bettors are fully embracing the opportunity to make sports wagers while games are underway. In the opinion of Jefferies analyst David Katz, the two main beneficiaries of this growing trend figure to be DraftKings and leading sports data provider Sportradar. He further noted that Fanduel and its parent company Flutter Entertainment should also be in line to capture a fair amount of the live-action betting market.

Here's a direct quote issued by Katz regarding the survey's results:

"For example, while ~80% of survey respondents said that they have already placed at least one in-game bet, ~90% said that more opportunities to place bets in-game would improve their experience, ~92% said that the ability to easily place bets in-game was at least slightly important to them, and over 95% of players noted that they either checked odds in-game or considered placing a bet/taking a cash-out offer in-game.”

Note: The two-tiered survey started with 768 smartphone respondents (ages 18-44), dropping down to 509 respondents who claimed to have made at least one In-game bet in recent days. Surprisingly, it turns out that In-game wagering could soon challenge parlays as the favorite betting option among U.S. sports bettors.

What is In-game Wagering?

Imagine that the ball has been kicked and an NFL game is underway. As the game progresses, sports betting operators will start offering adjusted lines on point spreads and over/under wagering. The new lines will account for scoring that has already occurred and the elapsing of time in the game. This is your typical In-game wagering opportunity.

Such wagers are popular because sports bettors can adjust their betting opinions based on things like the flow of the game, changes in weather conditions, and injuries that might pop up while play is underway. Given the potential for making wagers with the latest information is proving to be very popular.

There is another layer to In-game wagering called "micro-betting." Micro-betting involves the placing of wagers on very specific and isolated outcomes. For instance, a bettor might want to wager on whether the next play called by the offense will be a running or passing play. What a way to get bettors intimately involved in a game at a very specific level.

It's clear that frequent In-game wagers hold the potential to boost handle for the benefit of sports betting operators like DraftKings and Fanduel. There is a new wagering option in town and it's drawing a lot of attention from sports bettors everywhere.