The Basics
DraftKings built its initial reputation on a Fantasy Sports product, so it wasn’t a stretch that they moved into offering a DraftKings Sportsbook as states legalized the option. Their offering has some unusual aspects to it relative to others we’ve looked at, so for those looking for more unique opportunities, you may very well find it here. But the core sports betting product is quite good, and so if you’re looking to just bet on a football game, you’ll be in good hands as well.
- Broad array of betting options, including drifting outside of traditional sports
- Loyalty program works across their suite of products, including earning Tier Points and Crown Cash
- Minimum bets as low as 10 cents – very accessible for any budget
- Tie to physical sportsbooks – you can check your tickets on the app to see if you won
- Dynamic odds offers a cleaner way of understanding your potential odds on a parlay bet
- Free to play pools area for some extra fun
- Loyalty program is limited to within DraftKings, so you can’t earn comps for or while at casinos
- Lack of transparency on Crown Cash earning rates
- Must be Silver tier or higher to qualify for some benefits
Exploring DraftKings Sportsbook
Loading the DraftKings Sportsbook yielded some immediate surprises. Even though it’s called a Sportsbook, after the standard professional U.S. sports leagues listed at the top in bold, other options in the full alphabetical listing caught our eye, such as the Academy Awards and Emmy Awards. This was in the midst of more expected broader sports options such as Jai Alai, E-Sports and Cricket. It was certainly the minority of the list, but just interesting to spot these more exotic betting options.
All three standard betting options appear front and center when you select a league like the NFL, so you can make your moneyline, over/under and spread bets from the main screen.
We were mildly surprised to see a minimum bet requirement of 10 cents on even a standard moneyline bet. The same minimum goes for parlays. In physical sportsbooks the minimum wager is higher, but that to some degree makes sense, as the same thing happens with slots where games often have a lower minimum bet online.
One aspect about the app we like is its connection to the DraftKings-branded physical sportsbooks. With the DraftKings app, we were able to check the results of a sports bet we had made with the app, allowing us to avoid a separate trip to the sportsbook unless we had a winning ticket to redeem. That’s a nice touch that we didn’t see available everywhere.
Finally, on some bets you can be given the option of an early cash out, locking in a payout before a bet is fully resolved. The amount offered will depend on the size of your bet and how your bet is faring relative to the final target required to be a winning wager.
Parlay Options
For those interested in parlay options, DraftKings doesn’t disappoint, with a green SGP button (which stands for Same Game Parlay) that takes you to a very comprehensive list of options with which you can build a parlay within the same game.
SGPx also exists, which allows you to build a parlay with a Same Game Parlay inside of it. The SGP acts as one leg that still must be successfully predicted to resolve the bet.
A recently launched feature called Progressive Parlays is also now available (albeit only on certain bet types and in a limited range of states) – with these you still have the chance to win if a leg fails in your parlay. Of course, that additional margin is factored in to the odds that are paid out if you do win. For this type of parlay, you can have between 3 and 12 legs. The number of legs that can fail while the bet still paying out will depend on the number of legs selected.
They offer a unique feature for their parlays called Dynamic Odds, which will show you how your odds will shift with the addition of the item(s) you’re looking at. This is important because the longer the odds are on a parlay with the choices you make, the more difficult it will be for you to collect on the parlay (as all legs have to be successful), but of course as the odds increase so do the payouts. So you as a bettor can determine your risk appetite for the parlay you are building.
DraftKings Rewards
DraftKings’ loyalty program recently relaunched as DraftKings Rewards and is specific to DraftKings – it’s not linked with any physical casino chain, which means your progress and rewards are limited to DraftKings. But the fact that one exists is still a plus.
As you make wagers you earn both tier credits and Crown Cash (once you reach the silver tier). Tier credits are earned at a rate of 1 per $10 in traditional bets (like moneylines, spreads and over/unders) and 1 per $5 for parlay bets. There is no clear earnings rate for Crown Cash, as they are based on your wager type, amount and so on.
As you tier up, you become eligible for more opportunities and rewards, with new perks such as birthday rewards, Crown Cash multipliers and tier credit rollovers becoming available as you progress in the program to higher tiers. Crown Cash can be redeemed for merchandise or DraftKings Dollars, which can be used as bonus bets as you see fit.
Other Promotions
Their Promotions page will feature things like profit boost and No Sweat token opportunities for certain types of bets. Like their companion casino in the states that offer it, we highly recommend checking any promotions before making wagers to make sure you’re taking advantage of anything that may relate to your bet.
DraftKings has a free pools section which lets you play against others for prizes by making picks. The fact that it’s free is a nice component that lets you have some additional fun while doing more traditional wagers.
Getting Started with DraftKings Sportsbook
If you’ve never played on DraftKings Sportsbook, we’ve got a new player offer for you: Bet $5+, Get $150 in Bonus Bets*!
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