On the 27th March, 2020 DraftKings announced that their players can now play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as a daily fantasy game. With the popular US betting site recently adding other esports markets – including Rocket League – the new addition seems to have already gone down well with patrons of the site.
Get all the latest news on Fantasy Esports!
Opening up new ways to bet
Since the COVID19 pandemic halted virtually all sporting events, online bookmakers have been struggling; revenues are down significantly, and even punters are becoming frustrated at the lack of betting opportunities available to them.
To combat this, DraftKings (and some of the other major betting websites) have started to open up esports. It’s important to point out that DraftKings haven’t added Counter-Strike just due to the virus. They’ve already seen large-scale success with their League of Legends Fantasy markets – it’s likely the pandemic just changed the priority level of launching the new contests.
DraftKing’s CSGO fantasy lineups consist of a total of six players plus a Captain spot. The players are sourced from a number of different CS:GO leagues.
While it’s uncertain whether the new league will prove a success with players, it’s clear DraftKings seem to think it will – and they clearly expect it to attract the same levels of interest as their other esports markets.
Who are DraftKings?
DraftKings is a well-known bookmaker located in the USA which offers players the chance to place real-money wagers on a number of sports betting markets. More recently, they’ve added esports markets and leagues.
The site was founded in 2011 by Jason Robins, Paul Liberman, and Matt Kalish and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The site has enjoyed exponential growth over the past year thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a 1992 federal law that all but outlawed all forms of online gambling.
While many states are still putting regulatory frameworks together, more than 15 have now opened their doors to online gambling – and the US is set to become one of the world’s most lucrative online gambling markets.
The launch of their Counter-Strike esports league looks set to please punters – especially during a time where sports events are few and far between – and we look forward to seeing the bookmaker adding even more esports to its site.
