Add the Philadelphia Eagles & DraftKings to Growing NFL - Major Sportsbook 'Marriage List'

• The New Eagles-Draft Kings partnership promises several benefits for all Eagles fans
• Eagles aggressive with other casino alliances including FoxBet and Unibet
• Wall Street welcomes news along with general climate introducing US sports wagering

If it were only as easy predicting winners on games as forecasting how quickly the next NFL team will align themselves and partner with a major sportsbook.

The Philadelphia Eagles were the latest NFL team to announce a new partnership, with industry leader DraftKings Sportsbook. Official financial terms were not disclosed in the multi-year deal with DraftKings Sportsbook, who became the Eagles’ new fantasy sports and sports betting partner. The company also garnered exclusive naming rights to the field club in the north end zone at Lincoln Financial Field.

Like restrictions in other NFL stadiums during the Covid-19 pandemic, fans are still not allowed in the stadium to enjoy the VIP experience and game-day access the “DraftKings Field Club” will offer. However, Eagles’ faithful fans will see the branding for DraftKings visible in various Eagles digital spaces and social platforms.

The new partnership will also feature a new free-to-play game from DraftKings Sportsbook called “Eagles Stat Showdown” that will give fans a chance at weekly prizes where winners are determined based on the game and stat predictions.

“Philadelphia is home to some of the most passionate football fans, and we could not be more excited to join forces with the Eagles,” said Ezra Kucharz, Chief Business Officer, DraftKings Sportsbook. “Be it fans at home, on the DraftKings mobile app, or inside Lincoln Financial Field, we look forward to introducing Eagles fans and DraftKings Sportsbook customers alike to an all-encompassing DraftKings experience.”

Eagles are Not Sportsbook Monogamous

This deal is somewhat different from other NFL teams, that it is not an exclusivity arrangement. The announcement is in coordination with the Eagles’ other recent partnership with Fox Bet, whose branding will also be featured in many social and digital spaces throughout the stadium. Based on current projections, fans will also be able to enjoy the Eagles’ new 4,000 square foot Fox Bet lounge and production studio once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted and they are allowed back into Lincoln Financial Field.

In fact, the Eagles might be the NFL leader in casino company partnerships as they also signed a multi-year “casino only” arrangement with Unibet, a global online gaming operator back in October 2019.  The press release explicitly stated that sports betting was not a part of the deal and would not be promoted in the partnership. Unibet nonetheless gets to benefit from brand recognition to coincide with its important Pennsylvania launch.

Mohegan Sun Pocono, Unibet’s PA gaming partner, opened its retail sportsbook at the end of September 2019. Unibet’s online mobile sportsbook debuted shortly after that.

Good News for DraftKings Stock

The Eagles partnership was deemed another positive force in helping increase DraftKings Sportsbook’s most recent financial fortunes to continue as of last Friday.

DraftKings Sportsbook stock has soared about 211% since its merger with Diamond Eagle Acquisition closed in April. The rise has been driven by the overall excitement for the proliferation and legalization of online betting, an industry in which DraftKings is viewed as one of its leaders.

The stock trades at 64.7 times estimated forward sales for the next 12 months, compared with 3.72 times forward sales for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite. Of the 19 analysts covering the stock, 13 have “Buy ratings”, according to FactSet.

Perhaps the good news has spilled over quickly to the football field.  On Sunday evening, the Eagles traveled to San Francisco and upset the 49ers to win their first game of the season 25-20.