DraftKings Rolls Out ‘Sportsbook Pools’ For The Newbie, Novice Bettor

For novice sports bettors who want to dip their toes in the gaming pool, but don’t have a good understanding of odds, moneylines or spreads, DraftKings has a new product that essentially dumbs down sports betting to the office-pool level.

The Boston-based company rolled out the new product on Thursday, the company’s “DraftKings Sportsbook Pools,” a simplified way to bet that mimics those NCAA office pools that blanket the nation in March. The product was made available to New Jersey bettors this morning. According to a company press release, the Sportsbook Pools games will allow less experienced bettors an opportunity to play without having to understand the intricacies of sports betting.

“Millions of Americans have been playing in sports pools for years with their friends and coworkers, and now one of the most popular ways that fans can get ‘skin in the game’ is live on DraftKings Sportsbook,” said Matt Kalish, Chief Revenue Officer and co-founder of DraftKings. “DraftKings Sportsbook Pools features simple predictions, such as picking the winner of each NFL game weekly, combined with the potential to win jackpot-style prizes.”

DraftKings Sportsbook Adds New Game, ‘Sportsbook Pools,’ Designed For Consumers Unfamiliar With Intricacies of Sports Betting

The first Sportsbook Pool event has a $20 buy-in for contests with a minimum of $200,000 in total prizes, and a $100,000 jackpot to be split among all players who correctly pick all Week 10 NFL games (except the Thursday Night Game). In this first sports pool, New Jersey bettors will be awarded 20 percent of the prize pool for 11 correct picks, 30 percent for 12 correct picks, and 50 percent for making all 13 picks correctly.

Fans playing the pool are provided with a list of questions related to the outcome of certain games — in the case of the first pool, the winner of this weekend’s NFL games. Players select from a list of possible answers, and submit their picks. Winners are determined based on the number of correct picks made.

The Sportsbook Pools concept is really just DraftKings doing what it does best — creating a space for a big-scale fantasy game — but without much guesswork on the consumer’s part. And akin to the popular DFS Millionaire Maker contests, it’s a relatively small entry fee for a shot a lot of money. Obviously the game is also a mechanism to bring inexperienced bettors under the tent, some of them likely to become more regular players.

Though only those physically in New Jersey can play the pools, DraftKings is making the pools visible to sports bettors in any location, so consumers can “play” along without actually betting, or preview the sports pools before deciding to participate, or get familiar before DraftKings comes to their state.