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ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (AP) – In the “Players will bet on absolutely anything” category, here’s a new one: A sports ledger is taking bets on aerial drone races.
DraftKings said on Friday it was taking bets for this weekend’s Drone Racing League Championship, in which pilots fly aerial drones during races.
Betting on league 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 have skin in the game, and we are delighted to partner with DraftKings to turn our high speed racing competition into the ultimate sport to bet on,” said the President of Drone Racing League, Rachel Jacobson. . “The opportunity for us to elevate our engagement across all forms of gaming and gambling will only increase as mobile betting is increasingly adopted across the country.”
The bookie and the league are hosting ‘pre-flight shows’ on Friday night on Twitter ahead of the live events, in which expert sports bettors and top drone pilots will educate fans on how to participate.
Championship events begin on Saturday.
Jacobson said his races are all virtual this year, taking place in a simulation that incorporates actual drone physics. But also hosts live drone races at venues that have included the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida; Alexandra Palace in London and an automobile museum in Munich.
DraftKings says there is a market for this. It offered free drone racing contests last year to gauge interest in the activity, and the response was 30% higher than usual for a new sport introduced to the betting platform. So far, there have been over 150,000 entries for these free contests.
As is the case with major sports such as football, baseball and basketball, players will be able to place bets both before and during races.
DraftKings said a consumer study showed drone racing fans three times more likely to place a bet than big sports league fans and 90% more likely to be interested in sports betting in general. than the average sports fan.
The drone league is a private New York company founded in 2015. It has organized events in six countries.
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Follow Wayne Parry on http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC.
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