What’s a king without a castle? As DraftKings will tell you after its years-long wait to finally launch its Massachusetts online sportsbook, no king at all.
That delay should finally end on Friday, Mar. 10. DraftKings plans to take part in online gambling in its home state as early as 10 a.m. local time that day. The company is also planning some homecoming festivities.
DraftKings confirms its Massachusetts launch plans
In a Wednesday press release, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins commented on the significance of the company’s forthcoming launch.
“It was just over 10 years ago when we launched DraftKings from a spare bedroom in Watertown, and now, we are proud to have the opportunity to deliver a safe and legal sports betting product to millions of diehard sports fans across Massachusetts,” Robins said. “This launch will mark a major milestone for our company, and we’re proud to become the hometown sportsbook for customers in the Commonwealth.”
DraftKings maintains its headquarters in Boston to this day. Provided the Massachusetts Gaming Commission approves, as of 10 a.m. on Friday, people inside that headquarters and across the Bay State will be able to use the app to partake in legal online Massachusetts sports betting.
At this time, DraftKings has not confirmed any details about any welcome offers for new bettors who sign up online. Other sportsbooks set to launch Friday, like Caesars and FanDuel, have already announced such promotions.
That doesn’t mean DraftKings is letting such a momentous occasion pass without the appropriate pomp, though. That’s far from the case.
DraftKings plans “opening ceremonies” Friday
According to the press release, DraftKings is going to host “several activations around Boston leading into and after launch” on Friday. Those festivities will include:
- Watch parties for local sporting events
- Ceremonial bet celebration featuring Robins and other special guests
- Exclusive promos in the app
For DraftKings, Friday will probably feel like fulfilling a long-term goal. While it might be true that you can never go home again, DraftKings has been waiting for years to come home for the first time.
