DraftKings gets an upgrade

DraftKings has become the first official sports betting partner of the PGA Tour.

The partnership is an extension of the multi-year deal DraftKings signed with the professional golf organization in July 2019 that saw it become the “Official Daily Fantasy Game of the PGA Tour.” That title has now evolved into “Official Betting Operator of the PGA Tour.”

As part of the agreement, DraftKings can use the PGA Tour trademarks in the US, advertise on Tour media and partner platforms, and offer tournament highlights to bettors. The PGA Tour will also provide video and content rights, allowing DraftKings to create pre-game and post-game betting programming.?

A symbiotic partnership

Norb Gambuzza, PGA Tour senior vice president of media and gaming, spoke about the partnership on Tuesday, touching upon how the growth in fan engagement and consumption over the past year of working with DraftKings has been tremendous.?

The expansion of the relationship to now include sports betting is a natural evolution”

Gambuzza also said: “The expansion of the relationship to now include sports betting is a natural evolution and one which fully supports and promotes the PGA TOUR’s objectives of reaching and engaging new segments of fans while introducing them to our players, tournaments and media platforms.”

DraftKings’ chief business officer Ezra Kucharz spoke about how the two parties are continuing to make history through “innovative additions” to their existing agreement. Speaking about the significance of golf for DraftKings, he said: “Golf has been an especially important outlet for fan engagement over these past few months, and this latest collaboration is a significant next step for both the golf and gaming industries.”

Golf is the fourth most popular sport at DraftKings sportsbooks. PGA Tour events have seen brisk betting traffic since they returned in June after a break during the pandemic.?

PGA Tour embracing sports betting

The PGA Tour has embraced sports betting since the US Supreme Court struck down PASPA in May 2018. It has a global partnership agreement with IMG Arena to license its official live scoring data, distributing it to sportsbooks across the globe.?

In March 2020, the PGA Tour and the Action Network launched GolfBet, a new betting content platform focusing on golf. The Tour also collaborates with Genius Sports to ensure that no events are subject to betting-related corruption. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has plans to make on-site betting available at future PGA Tour events.