The United States is still, for the most part, virgin territory when it comes to regulated sports betting. During this time of intensive growth,regulated operators are harvesting new customers from wherever they can find them, but they’re especially keen on partnering with established sports leagues to benefit from pre-existing customer bases. DraftKings, the US sports betting giant, has been especially skilled at these types of partnerships, as their recent partnership with professional wrestling behemoth World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) indicates.
The partnership is a pretty standard deal, as far as these things go. Under the terms of the arrangement, DraftKings will have exclusive rights to use WWE brands in its promotions and will be able to display its logo at various WWE events. Wrestling fans will also get a taste of DraftKing’s potential with a variety of free-to-play pools and other promotions.
Ezra Kucharz, Chief Business Officer at DraftKings crowed about the deal in a recent press release saying, “As a cultural icon and incredible sports and entertainment company, we are thrilled to join forces with WWE and introduce its devoted fanbase to the DraftKings brand. This relationship helps fuel the engagement and drama of WWE’s signature matchups and storylines as audiences enjoy the second-screen experiences our products provide.”
Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer was similarly enthusiastic adding, ““We’re excited to enter this new agreement that makes DraftKings WWE’s first-ever free to play gaming partner. This collaboration marks a significant step in deepening engagement with our passionate fans and will provide DraftKings the opportunity to leverage the massive appeal and reach of the WWE brand.”
As the outcome of WWE events is pre-determined, it’s highly unlikely that any wagering will take place on WWE events.