DraftKings becomes Louisiana's first fantasy sports betting operator

New customers who place a minimum $5 first deposit will receive a free credit to play in a $3 paid contest of their choice, as well as have the opportunity to participate in charity-driven contests

2021-07-16

United States

Reading time 1:52 min

For individuals located in approved parishes, the company offers multiple innovations including Establishing the Fair Play Commitment Initiative to ensure a level playing field, DraftKings Leagues platform where players can create customizable private contests as well as launching new and enhancing game variants.

DraftKings Inc. announced on Thursday that it has received a Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) license from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board and its daily fantasy sports product will soon be live in approved parishes in Louisiana.

With this launch, Louisiana will officially become the 44th state in the United States to offer DraftKings daily fantasy sports, which today spans dozens of sports from NFL, MLB, and NBA to Australian Football and various eSports. Home to three major professional sports franchises as well as multiple D-I collegiate programs, Louisiana fans will now have ample opportunities to compete across their favorite sports through DraftKings’ signature second-screen experience.

Co-founder and President of DraftKings North America Matt Kalish, said: “As DraftKings continues our nationwide expansion, we welcome Louisiana to the DraftKings family, an area rich with culture, heritage, and die-hard fanbases in both professional and college sports. The Bayou will now have access to our world-leading Daily Fantasy Sports product as we ramp up toward the kickoff of football season.”

To celebrate DraftKings’ launch in Louisiana, new customers who place a minimum $5 first deposit will receive a free credit to play in a $3 paid contest of their choice. Along with the traditional offerings, DraftKings customers in Louisiana will have the opportunity to participate in charity-driven contests that benefit organizations making a difference. One such daily fantasy sports contest will raise funds to plant one million trees by Earth Day 2022 in collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation.

For individuals located in approved parishes the company has introduced multiple innovations to optimize the customer experience for all skill levels, including:

Establishing the Fair Play Commitment Initiative – To ensure a level playing field by prohibiting top-earning or more experienced players from entering casual and beginner contests.
DraftKings Leagues – The first-ever platform where players can create fully customizable, private contests just for their friends or colleagues.
Launching new and enhancing favorite game variants:

Showdown is particularly popular among fans for marquee events like the Super Bowl and World Series who tune in around the globe to watch the action unfold. For NFL and NBA contests, DraftKings also enables In-Game Showdown so fans can construct lineups for a portion of the game after it has begun.
Classic contests require participants to draft a team across multiple games by selecting players by position listed in the available Player Pool while remaining under the designated salary cap. Classic is a popular option for fans during regular-season games.