DraftKings is all set to launch its mobile sports betting app in the state of New Hampshire on December 30, making it the first and only mobile sports betting product in the Granite State.
The development was announced by the company’s co-founder, Matt Kalish, and it comes not long after the New Hampshire Lottery Commission approved the company as the lottery’s official sports betting partner just a month ago. DraftKings was given a six-year contract with an option for two two-year extensions.
DraftKings mobile was expected to launch in January 2020 but the earlier date would come as a nice surprise especially for those that had wanted to wager on the National Football League playoffs.
DraftKings would give 51 percent of its gross gaming revenue from mobile sports betting to the state.
“I think that will be something that really fills the coffers in New Hampshire and we’re going to do what we can to make that number as big as possible,” Kalish said.
The company would also be establishing retail sports betting shops. Voters in six cities have ratified DraftKings brick-and-mortar locations: Berlin, Claremont, Franklin, Laconia, Manchester, and Somersworth. The gross gaming revenue share for the retail sportsbooks between DraftKings and the state would be 50/50.
However, the retail locations would not be opening next week. Kalish expects them to be ready to go in the first half of next year. He explained that customers should expect the same betting experience as they would find with the mobile app:
“It’s really no different except if you’re a cash bettor and you want to transact in cash and hold a physical ticket,” said Kalish.
Kalish added that there are a lot of people who prefer to place their wagers in person, so having retail stores with live cashiers and automated kiosks would work just as well with the mobile app.
New Hampshire will be the eighth state in which DraftKings has sportsbook operations. It has a mobile sports betting product in New Jersey, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, as well as retail sportsbooks in New Jersey, New York, Mississippi, and Iowa.
The New Hampshire launch is not even the most profound piece of news involving DraftKings. The company announced on Monday that it is merging with sports betting technology company SBTech and is going public next year.
The two companies are technically being acquired by Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company, but once the transaction is complete, the company will change its name to DraftKings.
The new company will have a market capitalization of $3.3 billion.
