Bryson DeChambeau became the first active pro golfer to represent a gaming company after he signed a multi-year deal with DraftKings on November 2. DeChambeau will become the face of golf for the sportsbook.
The golfer, ranked six in the world golf ranking, won his first major at the U.S. Open in September. Starting with the Masters, the DraftKings logo will appear on DeChambeau’s signature golf cap.
“Professional golf has been a key growth sport in both daily fantasy and sports betting, and our collaboration with Bryson DeChambeau is a notable new layer of mainstream brand exposure and fan experience,” said Jason Robins, co-founder and CEO, DraftKings.
Golf is the fourth-most-popular sport for daily fantasy at DraftKings, while golf sportsbook handle has grown 10 times year over year. Excluding NFL games, the 2019 Masters ranked among the top five highest-bet sporting events on DraftKings.
“The gaming industry has already helped golf reach broader audiences and DraftKings has been at the forefront of innovation for how people experience golf,” DeChambeau said.
The 2020 Masters takes place this month, with its final round overlapping with NFL games. To take advantage, DraftKings is offering a $100,000 free-to-play pool that captures the action of both sports. This is the first multi-sport pool DraftKings has developed.
Not to be outdone, the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies announced a multi-year partnership with FanDuel the same day. The agreement applies to both sports betting and daily fantasy sports, and marks not only the Grizzlies first foray with a sports betting operator but FanDuel’s first with an NBA team.
FanDuel will have access to Grizzlies’ marks and logos to use across its online sports betting and daily fantasy sports products, as well as marketing assets ranging from in-arena signage at FedEx Forum to radio, television and digital advertising. FanDuel will present the team’s home and away television broadcast with multiple integrations to enhance the experience for fans watching from home.
“As we expand our sportsbook into Tennessee, partnering with the Grizzlies was a no-brainer, given the team’s popularity and longstanding success, as well as their fan-focused mindset,” said Mike Raffensperger, CMO, FanDuel Group.
FanDuel and the Memphis Grizzlies are offering unique promotions for new FanDuel Sportsbook customers in Tennessee:
- Tennessee residents who sign up for the FanDuel Sportsbook and enter promo code “GRIZZLIES” will receive a $20 free bet with no deposit required.
- The FanDuel Sportsbook app features a special risk-free first bet up to $1,000 for Tennessee customers. Any customer that doesn’t win their first bet is automatically refunded their wager, up to $1,000 in site credit.
The announcement comes on the heels of FanDuel’s launch of its online and mobile sportsbook in Tennessee.
