DraftKings Sportsbook Review
Many people’s first experience hearing the name “DraftKings” was when they first decided to see what fantasy sports were all about. People gravitated towards DraftKings at that time because they were one of the main providers of fantasy sports games in the United States and beyond. However, they are now also known for offering legal sports wagering in the states where it is permitted. Thus, it is a good idea for players to take a look at the benefits and downfalls of this particular sports wagering website.
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Overall Impressions |
US Players are Permitted
One of the biggest things to note right from the start is the fact that US players are permitted to wager on the DraftKings Sportsbook website and app. They allow this where it is permitted in the country. As of the time of this writing, that includes 31 states and the District of Columbia, and it is expected that more states will legalize online gambling in the coming months/years.
What this means for the players is that they are going to be able to put their money down and start wagering on the games as soon as they download the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Large Base of Gamblers
The DraftKings Sportsbook has done a great job promoting itself and helping position itself as a leader in the sports gambling industry in the United States. In fact, they are second in total revenue, trailing only FanDuel Sportsbook. This is likely due to the fact that many players already had a connection to these companies before sports wagering was legalized. On top of that, DraftKings Sportsbook has made it easy for players to shift their accounts and/or their funds over to the sports wagering side of the business.
Players that already have a fantasy account can flip it over to the sportsbook account with just a few clicks. Thus, there are plenty of people who have made the choice to do exactly that, and they seem to be pleased with the fact that they are able to enjoy all of the games that they can wager on when they make the switch.
Great Sportsbook Promotions
Every sportsbook has promotions that it offers to its players, but DraftKings Sportsbook is among the best when it comes to the offerings that they have on deck.
First-Bet “Risk-Free”
The first bet that one makes when they sign up for their DraftKings Sportsbook account can be done completely “risk-free”. They just need to accept the promotion that is offered to them when they first sign up for an account. That promotion will allow them to deposit any amount up to $1,000 and receive a risk-free token in an equal amount for their first bet.
What this means is that the first bet placed by a new player (up to $1,000) will be covered if it loses. DraftKings Sportsbook will award that player free play tokens equal to the amount of their first bet. There are other factors that must be considered when thinking about getting that first bet bonus. For example, it may be necessary to wager at certain odds (-200 or greater is typical) to unlock the free bet portion of the bonus. Make sure you read the specific details of any promotion that you receive.
Parlay Boosts
Getting a little extra juice added to your parlay win is very exciting. It is fun to hit a parlay win in general, but it is even better when the amount that you win is boosted a little higher because you have received a parlay boost from the sportsbook that you are using.
Parlay boosts are a major part of what DraftKings Sportsbook has to offer you, and you should always think about what you may get from a parlay boost when you sign on for one.
Features You Don’t Want to Miss on DraftKings Sportsbook
There are some key features that you should know about when you use any given sportsbook. It is really important that you are aware of the kinds of things that make a specific sportsbook unique, and that is why you will want to look over the offerings at DraftKings Sportsbook very carefully. They have a few fantastic offerings that are a bit different from some other books.
Daily Fantasy Sports
One of the critical differences between DraftKings Sportsbook and most other sportsbooks is the fact that they offer daily fantasy sports games right on the app. In fact, all that a player will need to do is switch between their accounts if they want to play fantasy instead of wagering on sports. They can use their existing funds for both situations, and it can all happen very easily.
Sometimes one might want to switch over to where they are playing the fantasy game instead of just wagering on sports all the time. Thus, they might want to use DraftKings Sportsbook instead of some of the other books out there.
Early Cash Out
Getting out of a wager that has already been placed is just a matter of pressing the early cash out button on DraftKings Sportsbook. When one does this, they are exiting out of the wager that they have already placed in exchange for a payout right now. It is a way of locking in a result right now instead of waiting until the wager resolves itself. Of course, doing so means that one will receive less money back than if they waited until it resolved, but it also means that they don’t have to worry about the risk of holding on to their wager all the way until the end.
Live Betting
Virtually every gambling site now offers live betting as part of their platform. The reason for this is because gamblers really want it. It is a great way to get involved with wagering as a game is actively in progress. That is more enjoyable and more rewarding for some players than simply wagering on a game before the action starts and then just hoping for the best. This is why DraftKings Sportsbook is set up the way that it is. They want to offer players the opportunity to wager on the games as they are taking place.
The Mobile App
The DraftKings Sportsbook app is available both on the Android and iOS systems. Many players are drawn to play with DraftKings Sportsbook because it features an easy to use app. In fact, most who do use DraftKings Sportsbook as their means of wagering on sports will ultimately use the app instead of the website that the brand also provides. This is simply because they are likely more familiar with the app than they are the website, and the website might even feel somewhat foreign to them when they really get down to it. Thus, it is quite common for players to simply opt to use the app instead and go from there.
Where DraftKings SportsbookLets Us Down
Not everything about DraftKings Sportsbook is wonderful. It is true that there are some elements of this sportsbook that are a major letdown. They are knowfor some of the following less than desirable features:
- Low Limits on Boosted Wagers –A great way for sportsbooks to attract more players is to offer boosted wagers. These give outsized odds to a particular event happening. The book sets this up as a way to try to draw players in who might not otherwise have wagered on a particular event or who might not have wagered at all that day if it weren’t for the fact that they got an outsized return. However, DraftKings Sportsbook puts some pretty low limits on the amount of funds that a player may wager on these boosted odds, and that can be a big deterrent for many players.
- Not Great Odds –The odds that DraftKings Sportsbook puts out to the world are not as competitive as some of the other sportsbooks out there. This is a harsh reality, but it is one that needs to be addressed regardless. Players don’t like it when they are offered lines that are sub-optimal, and that seems to be the case with DraftKings Sportsbook at this time. You may be able to find better bargains elsewhere.
- Restrictions on Promotions –It is common for sportsbooks to put restrictions on the promotions that they offer to players. They need to make sure people don’t just come in for a brief time, take the promotion, and bounce. Therefore, it is common to see some restrictions on promotions. However, the restrictions that DraftKings puts on the promotions that they offer are considered to be very stiff.
These are not the kind of things that one wants to see when they are considering looking at switching over to a new sportsbook. DraftKings Sportsbook is not doing great at attracting new clients.
The Verdict
When asked which sportsbook a new user should engage with, the DraftKings Sportsbook is not the first one that we would recommend. It is very popular with many people because they already knew DraftKings from the days when it offered fantasy sports products. However, there are too many downsides to what DraftKings Sportsbook has to offer for us to make it a top recommendation.
We will say that for the casual player who happens to have a significant amount of money on their DraftKings account anyway, it may be somewhat acceptable to use the DraftKings Sportsbook as their main place to make some wagers, but otherwise we would recommend other options.
Those who want to may set up an account simply to take advantage of the first deposit bonus before moving on. That is an effective way to squeeze some juice out of DraftKings Sportsbook without committing too much. That would be our recommendation, and it is probably the best way to play things.