A month after cutting ties with the American Gaming Association, DraftKings formally announced the launch of its prediction-market products. The 19 December disclosure affects 38 states and the District of Columbia, including non-sports betting states California, Georgia, and Texas.
DraftKings incepted event contracts without going through Railbird, the prediction-market firm it bought for a reported US$250 million in October. Rather, DraftKings Predictions will be launched in tandem with CME Group.
Asked by Sportico if Railbird wasn’t yet ready to handle DraftKings products, Chief Product Officer Corey Gottlied replied, “Sort of.” According to DraftKings’s official statement, a “planned rollout” of Railbird Technologies and subsidiary Railbird Exchange will follow, enabling access to still more states that will “deliver advantaged economics over time.
