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Regulated sports betting in the U.S. is going a mile high.
DraftKings announced this week it has entered into a partnership with legacy carrier Delta Air Lines.
The popular sports betting app is set to be integrated into Delta's in-flight entertainment. Neither company has disclosed full details of such an arrangement.
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, discussed the opportunities while speaking before a large crowd at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
“Since we’re here in Las Vegas – the gaming capital of the world – it’s only fitting to announce a collaboration with DraftKings,” Bastain said.
“From fantasy sports to online adventures, gaming has become a regular part of the daily lives of millions of our customers, and you shouldn’t have to hit pause just because you’re in the sky…Our partnership with DraftKings will build on the games portfolio we already offer today via Delta Sync and our seatback screens while using the deep expertise that Jason and his team have developed over the past decade.”
Bastian also suggests that customers will soon be able to use Delta Sync, the airline’s free Wi-Fi to play games developed by DraftKings. Flyers will be able to use Sky Miles to do so.
Tim Mapes, Delta’s Chief Communication Officer, has also hinted at a potential development in the future where customers could gamble using SkyMiles.
"The DraftKings announcement we made: If you played that forward — and I'm not saying this is where we're going — but if you played that forward, international flights could have gambling. International flights could gamble with SkyMiles as a currency," Mapes told reporters.
"You have a currency in SkyMiles, and you have all these different means to accumulate, redeem, find new ways of valuing that currency or elevating the utility of that currency in ways that people really enjoy. Whatever that is where we will go, because it will be the customers' preference that guide us."
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