Sportsbook heavyweight DraftKings has announced plans to launch a digital marketplace where customers can buy and sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs) through their existing sports betting accounts.
The company said the launch will be facilitated through a new partnership with Autograph, an NFT platform co-founded by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Following the launch, DraftKings will become the exclusive distributor of Autograph’s NFT content.
The first collection to be featured in the new DraftKings marketplace will be the “Pre-Season Access” collection. The collection will include NFTs of legendary sports stars who have already partnered with Autograph. With this collection, fans will also have a chance to gain special access to future releases.
“As the world becomes more comfortable with digital ownership and collection, we see an incredible opportunity to bring users high-quality and personalized content from their favorite athletes, artists and franchises,” said Autograph CEO and co-founder Dillon Rosenblatt.
“NFTs are the perfect medium to connect users to both the things they love and those who share those interests, and we want to leverage today’s incredible partnerships to provide continued value to our community.”
While the new marketplace will primarily offer sport-related NFT content from Autograph, it will also offer a secondary market where customers can buy and sell digital art pieces across entertainment, pop culture and sports. Secondary trading is primarily for items purchased within the DraftKings community.
“The NFT boom has reinvented the collectibles industry and driven excitement to early-adopting audiences worldwide—including the DraftKings community,” said DraftKings President Matt Kalish. He added that the NFT marketplace “will sit at the center of this technological and cultural phenomenon, providing our immense existing customer base with an easily accessible experience that rivals all legacy marketplaces.
“This initial vision in collaboration with Autograph, and its coveted collection of official digital collectibles, is a vital first step as we enter the emergent NFT market. We aim to usher in this new era by introducing millions of collectors to this evolving space while providing beloved content through an intuitive interface built to win over the long term.”
Under the partnership, Autograph will also offer custom-designed NFTs through the DraftKings marketplace. The custom collectibles will be exclusively published together with the launch of the marketplace.
DraftKings is an official fantasy partner of MLB, NASCAR, NFL, the PGA Tour and the UFC. It also owns Vegas Sports Information Network Inc. Its sportsbook is currently live in 11 states—Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Autograph entered a separate partnership with entertainment company Lionsgate this month. Under the multi-year deal, Lionsgate will release digital collectible content from movies as well as television series. The partnership calls for the content to then be sold on DraftKings’ marketplace.
Autograph’s advisory board includes sports luminaries Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter, Naomi Osaka and Tony Hawk.
DraftKings did not announce a specific release date for the new NFT marketplace, but additional details are expected to be released in August. The DraftKings marketplace is expected to appeal to sports fans, digital art collectors and NFT investors.
