DraftKings Launches New Quarterly Games for Upcoming NFL Season

DraftKings’ is launching a new product called Flash Draft that allows players to draft a new team while game play is still underway. If you’re thinking that this sounds a lot like in-play wagering products that are already a mainstay of sports betting operators across the planet, you’re probably right.
Flash Draft contests are set to take place during quarters 2, 3, and 4 of NFL games with drafts starting 30 seconds after the previous quarter ends. Players draft simultaneously and there are no salary caps or restrictions. Drafting procedures are a bit different than traditional daily fantasy sports (DFS) tournaments with players being offered three choices of players for their picks. Each tournament features five rounds (this could all take place during a single commercial break).
As it stands today, Flash Draft will only be available to players playing from the DraftKings’ website, but mobile versions of the game for Android and iOS are expected to be ready about half way through the NFL season.
If you’re thinking that all of this sounds like the framework for an in-play wagering system, you’re probably right. American consumers aren’t all that familiar with in-play wagering and a product like this is just the thing to help them figure it out.
This could be a really big deal as DraftKings continues its pivot to sports betting after years of trying to convince state governments that its DFS tournaments are definitely not gambling. The company has opened a Draft Kings branded sports book in New Jersey and recently opened an office in Las Vegas.