After DraftKings bought its way into the lottery gaming business a few months ago with the acquisition of ‘leading lottery app’ Jackpocket, users are flocking to the app in astounding numbers.
According to a release from the Jackpocket App, a record number of players entered the latest drawing for the nationwide lottery via the application, with the company releasing a report for their March results in what they’ve deemed the “most successful month in company history”
“We are in an exciting new era of unprecedented high jackpots,” said Peter Sullivan, co-founder and CEO of Jackpocket. “With the most recent billion-dollar jackpot, we saw a new record for app-based Powerball orders and user activity. Jackpocket was founded on the idea that the lottery should be accessible and convenient, and we are thrilled to provide lottery participants another way to try their hand at taking home the grand prize.”
According to the release, in the run-up to the enormous jackpot on April 6th, Jackpocket experienced its third highest week even with regards to active users and number of orders, with jumps of over 30% week-over-week in major states such as New York, Texas, and as much as 51% in Ohio.
In total, the Jackpocket user base accounted for as much as 10% of all Powerball tickets sold across eligible regions, with certain states accounting for even higher proportions. In total, winners took home roughly $7.6 million in prizes, though just over half of those winnings were concentrated between three winners in Ohio ($2 million), New York, and New Jersey ($1 million).
DraftKings tapping into major market
With DraftKings' foray into the world of lottery gaming, the explosion in userbase could not come at a better time for the sports betting giant. With the acquisition said to be an effort to tap into the “massive U.S. lottery industry,” there’s little doubt based on these figures they have done exactly that.
“We are very excited to enter the rapidly growing U.S. digital lottery vertical with our acquisition of Jackpocket,” DraftKings Co-Founder and CEO Jason Robins said in a press release. “This transaction will create significant value for DraftKings not only by giving our customers another differentiated product to enjoy but also by improving our overall marketing efficiency similar to how our daily fantasy sports database created an advantage for DraftKings in OSB and iGaming.”
The proposed acquisition was initially announced late last year, however, the deal is subject to certain regulatory approvals as of yet and is expected to close sometime in the second half of 2024.
In the meantime, it’s believed that the app will provide another substantial revenue stream for the Boston-based gaming giant, with speculation that it could provide opportunities to cross-sell users on its other businesses such as daily fantasy sports and local sportsbooks.
