DraftKings goes live with first-ever racing product DK Horse ahead of Kentucky Derby

Sports betting giant DraftKings announced Wednesday its first-ever horse racing product, DK Horse, has launched in twelve states and expects to go live in additional jurisdictions by the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6. 

The standalone, DK Horse-branded app allows customers to access pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing. In November 2022, DraftKings and Churchill Downs Incorporated announced a multi-year agreement pursuant to which CDI’s subsidiary TwinSpires agreed to power the deposit pari-mutuel wagering technology for DK Horse.

Jason Robins, CEO and Chairman of the Board of DraftKings, said: “Together with Churchill Downs Incorporated, an industry leader with a deep-rooted history in horse racing, we will deliver an innovative, mobile customer experience.”

“Our goal is to provide our customers with best-in-class sports and gaming products, and we expect DK Horse to provide a fun and new way to engage with renowned races like the upcoming Run for the Roses,” he added.

DK Horse customers will be able to wager on some of the most renowned horse races in the US including Churchill Downs’ premier racing products like the Oaks and Derby. The app will also give customers the ability to handicap races, wager and stream video of races all within their DK Horse account.

Furthermore, DK Horse will offer a betting guide to inform its customers of upcoming races and the various ways to wager. The app will initially require customers to register and deposit funds into new accounts separately from their “one account, one wallet” tethered to DraftKings Sportsbook, Casino and daily fantasy sports apps. 

DraftKings recently confirmed it has moved its offices to a new building in the southwest Las Vegas Valley, a mixed-use complex called UnCommons being built along Durango Drive just south of the 215 Beltway, across the street from Station Casinos’ under-construction Durango resort. The new headquarters occupies a four-story building and boasts 90,000 square feet of space.

The office features more than 130 sports 'trading' desks for oddsmakers and a 7,500-square-foot cafeteria and event space, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It also boasts a casino training pit, putting green area, mothers’ rooms, and barber shop and salon, all within a commercial-and-residential campus that’s poised to offer numerous food and beverage spots.