Between a new partnership with Uber and the promise of more Bluetooth connectivity hitting the skies in the coming years, Delta did its best to make big news with a splashy event at the massive consumer electronics trade show CES in Las Vegas earlier this week. But one item flew under the radar: A brewing partnership with sports-betting giant DraftKings.
Could placing bets on ball games and horse races at 35,000 feet really become a reality? Well, not yet. But you can safely bet Delta is thinking about it.
“Well, since we’re here in Las Vegas – the gaming capital of the world – it’s only fitting to announce a collaboration with DraftKings, one of the world’s leading gaming platforms, for the Delta Sync experience,” CEO Ed Bastian said from the stage of The Sphere on Tuesday. “From fantasy sports to online adventures, gaming has become 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 that we already offer today via Delta Sync and our seatback screens.”
The airline isn’t shedding many details on what it’s working on or when it may go live just yet.
“Delta is excited to collaborate with DraftKings as we build out the gaming portfolio on our Delta Sync experience. Specific details on the partnership and how DraftKings will appear on Delta Sync will be available at a future date,” the airline said in a follow-up statement.
For now, there’s one obvious hurdle: As View from the Wing notes, gambling on commercial flights remains flat-out illegal in the U.S. It is, however, already legal on cruise ships as well as in airports on land where it has been legalized – most notably, Las Vegas (LAS).
But sports betting has swept the nation over the last decade-plus, following a wave of state-by-state legalizations that have turned it into a multi-billion dollar industry. American Gaming Association data estimates that Americans placed nearly $10.5 billion in bets on sports during last year’s Super Bowl and the rest of February – up almost 25% from the year before.
That’s big money … with a huge downside for the gamblers who have lost life savings with a few clicks. But airlines like Delta no doubt see upside: More money for them.
Exactly what shape Delta’s inflight partnership with the sports betting company may take is anyone’s guess.
Maybe it’s just a free game on your seatback screen with Monopoly money – a way for DraftKings and Delta to get their tentacles into travelers, waiting until the day that inflight gambling gets the OK? Or could passengers, as airline industry observer Enilria floated, gamble with their SkyMiles miles instead of cold, hard cash?
Delta isn’t saying just yet, nor is DraftKings. Whatever the two companies have in mind, it would require a federal law change to make full-blown inflight gambling. That would pit two of the strongest and wealthiest lobbying forces against each other in Congress: Airlines who would love to get in on the action versus casinos (and other gambling entities) who surely would do anything to stop them.
A new, Republican-controlled Congress was just sworn in. President Donald Trump will take office later this month. This will be one to watch.
Lead photo courtesy of Delta Air Lines
