DraftKings has expanded its betting options to include virtual sports in the absence of real-world sports amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The daily fantasy sports provider turned sports betting giant, DraftKings, has entered a deal with Inspired Entertainment which will allow the operator to take bets on a range of virtual sports.
By offering virtual sports, DraftKings will be able to help fill the void left by the cancellation of all major sporting events amid the coronavirus pandemic.
What’s covered in the deal?
Under the deal, Inspired will provide DraftKings with its V-Play Plug & Play end-to-end online virtual sportsbook product allowing the operator to integrate its range of virtual sports products.
With this platform, DraftKings’ customers will be able to bet on variants of 14 virtual sports including football, soccer, basketball on both desktop and mobile betting platforms.
Inspired President and Chief Operating Officer Brooks Pierce said, “We are very excited to team up with DraftKings to bring Virtual Sports to their passionate fans. Not only do we have the largest and most advanced portfolio of Virtual Sports, we tailor our products to sports fanatics with a combination of fast-paced action, ultra-realistic player simulations and a tremendous breadth of bet types. We are looking forward to working with DraftKings on bringing a continual stream of betting content to their customer base, especially at this time when there is limited live sports content available.”
The impact of coronavirus on the US gambling sector
The US gambling industry has come to a standstill amid the coronavirus pandemic. All commercial casino across the country and the majority of tribal venues have temporarily closed their doors to help stop the spread of the virus.
Several states, including Nevada and Illinois, have extended the temporary closure of non-essential business, which includes gambling establishments, until April 30 at the earliest. On top of this, almost every major sporting league has made the decision to postpone events, which will have a significant impact on sports betting operators around the globe.
Several state’s including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Mississippi have reported a significant drop in betting activity due to the coronavirus pandemic.
