DraftKings and Sports & Social Partner Up
Renowned gambling and sports betting operator DraftKings has announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with US entertainment brand Sports & Social, owned by the Cordish Companies. The new partnership will see the two launch new DraftKings sports bars across the nation, first starting in Nashville, Tennessee and Detroit, Michigan.
Gambling and sports betting operator DraftKings has announced a strategic partnership together with US entertainment brand Sports & Social, owned by The Cordish Companies. ©djgmix/Pixabay
Bars Will Constitute New Form of Venue for US Sports Consumers
The highly popular and prominent gambling and sports betting operator DraftKings has revealed that it has struck an exclusive strategic partnership deal with US entertainment brand Sports & Social, owned by the Baltimore-based real estate development and entertainment operator Cordish Companies.
The recently established duo will be launching new Sports & Social/DraftKings sports bars at locations dotted across the country, starting out in Nashville Tennessee and Detroit Michigan, provided they receive the necessary local regulatory approvals.
Designed by the NYC-based award-winning design and brand strategy & experience, interior and lighting firm ICRAVE, DraftKings and Sports & Social expect the new venues to constitute a new sports betting and entertainment experience for consumers in the United States.
In-Person Betting Experience Is Still Integral, Says DraftKings
Commenting on the announcement of DraftKings’ and Sports & Social’s strategic partnership, DraftKings’ chief business officer Ezra Kucharz explained that the brand looks forward to advancing sports betting through a singular in-person experience:
“Today, so much of sports betting is focused on the mobile-technology aspect, however, the in-person experience is an integral layer that we look forward to advancing alongside Sports & Social’s premier dining and entertainment offerings. By aligning with one of the fastest-growing entertainment concepts in the country, we now have the opportunity to bring our world-class products to life by offering engaging, interactive and fan-first destinations to skin-in-the-game customers.”– Ezra Kucharz, Chief Business Officer, DraftKings
For a little background, Sports & Social is a concept courtesy of Live! Dining & Entertainment, a division of Baltimore-based The Cordish Companies. The beloved brand welcomes 55 million visitors a year to its dining, entertainment, music, casino, hotel and venues across the United States.
As for its contribution to the press release, Cornish Companies president Reed Cordish praised DraftKings’ status as an industry leader, citing the operator’s extensive experience as an opportunity for Cornish to provide its guests with unique new entertainment opportunities:
“DraftKings is an industry leader in sports betting and entertainment, and we are incredibly excited to work with them to bring this new experience to life. We are always looking to create new and innovative experiences for our guests and this collaboration will allow us an exciting opportunity to do so, bringing an incredible, premier sports watching experience with sports betting all under one roof.”– Reed Cordish, President, The Cordish Companies
DraftKings Recently Partnered with NFL
In mid-April 2021, multiple major American sports betting companies revealed that they had struck exclusive multi-year partnerships with the country’s national football league — the NFL. One of these brands was none other than gambling and sports betting provider DraftKings.
The exclusive series of arrangements will see each company enter into multi-year collaborative contracts with the NFL, thereby gaining exclusive access to certain branded content and new free NFL-themed games.
Each company will likewise be able to integrate their content into affiliated NFL tech programs, such as for example the NFL app, as well as the NFL’s official website. All three sportsbooks will also have the ability to take advantage of the official NFL data for their sportsbook feed, offering players exclusive and accurate statistics which they can inform their wagers by.
Unique to DraftKings players, as well as FanDuel customers, will be the ability to take advantage of all-time classic NFL footage, featuring career highlights and Next Gen Stats.
WWE Partnership Also in the Bag for DraftKings
2021 has been no sleeper year for sports betting operator DraftKings, with the company announcing in March 2021 that it would be partnering with the one-and-only World Wrestling Entertainment (more commonly known as WWE).
This collaboration initially took the form of back-to-back promotions on April 10th and 11th, 2021, where players were able to bet for free on WWE’s world-renowned WrestleMania event.
WWE’s partnership with DraftKings marks the very first time the leading wrestling empire has partnered with a sportsbook. What makes the collaboration doubly unique is quite simply the fact that WWE is unlike any traditional sports league. In contrast to the NFL or the NBA, the WWE specializes in the performance and spectacle of wrestling, meaning that all of its matches and events have been choreographed and planned in advance.
