DraftKings Begins Migrating Odds Platform To SBTech In Illinois

By | Updated on 29 March, 2022

Chris Altruda has been a sportswriter with ESPN, The Associated Press, and STATS over more than two decades. He recently expanded into covering sports betting and gambling around the Midwest. His Twitter handle is @AlTruda73.

Sports bettors in Illinois can add another option for line-shopping online odds, as DraftKings has begun the process of migrating its odds platform to in-house technology provider SBTech from Kambi.

A spokesperson for DraftKings confirmed the switch is underway, adding in a statement that “ahead of our full migration plans, which we expect to conclude by the end of the third quarter of 2021, we have begun testing our technologies in various markets.”

There are currently six online sportsbooks in Illinois, with Kambi also providing odds for BetRivers and Barstool Sportsbook, in addition to DraftKings. The trio have accounted for nearly 62% of the online handle in Illinois, totaling close to $2.8 billion from when the first mobile wagers were accepted in June 2020 through May.

FanDuel, PointsBet, and William Hill — the other three online sportsbooks in the state — have their own respective odds platforms.

Illinois tops $500M in handle for five straight months

Online sports betting has quickly vaulted Illinois into a top-five market nationally, with the state generating more than $500 million in monthly handle for five straight months after the Illinois Gaming Board reported a handle of nearly $507.3 million for May on Tuesday. The Prairie State has finished second behind only New Jersey in each of the last two months for handle, and overall, more than 96% of the state’s overall handle — close to $4.5 billion — has been bet using smartphones or computers.

DraftKings, which began taking mobile bets in the state last August, has generated the most handle among the state’s six online offerings at nearly $1.6 billion despite BetRivers having a two-month head start. DraftKings has accounted for 35.4% of the state’s online handle, but it has seen market share dip since the entrance of Barstool Sportsbook in March.

DraftKings edged out FanDuel for the highest handle from March through May with nearly $533.8 million, but the 33.4% market share in that span pales in comparison to the 40.8% share it achieved in the three months prior to Barstool’s launch.

DraftKings completed its merger with SBTech in May 2020. The two companies were acquired by Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corporation, a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in December 2019 and went public.