DraftKings Review

DraftKings Summary

DraftKings Sportsbook is a legitimate sports betting platform operating in 21 U.S. states and Canada. With its easy-to-use interface, extensive markets, and attractive bonuses, it has become popular among new and experienced bettors. Check with the sportsbook to confirm your eligibility to participate in its offerings, and always ensure you comply with your region's sports betting laws.

Here's a look at what Ontario bettors can expect from DraftKings Sportsbook:

DraftKings Quick Facts

DraftKings Locations

While DraftKings Sportsbook is new to the regulated sports betting market in Ontario, their DFS product has been around for a while. DraftKings has offered DFS for the most popular sports in Canada like NFL, NBA, and NHL before it even had a sportsbook option. They have offered CFL DFS since 2016. Unfortunately as a condition for the launch into the Ontario market, DraftKings is no longer able to offer DFS contests in the province.

Sports Leagues to Bet On

DraftKings sports betting customers will see a shortlist featuring the most popular sports and leagues at the top of the homepage. It generally features football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer, along with big golf and tennis tournaments.

NFL Betting

As an industry leader, you’ll always find one of the widest selections of NFL betting options at DraftKings. From player and team props to live betting markets, DraftKings has you covered. You’ll also find traditional bets like moneylines, spreads, and over/unders.  The quality of odds at DraftKings for NFL is typically average compared to other NFL betting sites and Super Bowl betting sites.   Be aware that regular bettors may find themselves quickly limited on popular NFL bets or excluded from ongoing promos targeted towards beginners.

NBA Betting

There’s no shortage of options for NBA betting fans, as DraftKings offers moneyline, spread, and total plays for every game on the schedule. You can also wager on quarterly or halftime options and daily player props. You’ll also find plenty of ongoing promos and odds boosts for the NBA.

In November 2021, the NBA announced multi-year expanded partnerships making DraftKings and FanDuel Group co-official sports betting partners of the NBA. DraftKings, whose business relationship with the NBA dates back to 2019, will become the exclusive presenting partner of NBABet Stream, the NBA’s betting-focused telecast on NBA League Pass and the NBA TV App. In addition, DraftKings will activate on-site at tentpole NBA events, including the NBA All-Star Game, Rising Stars, NBA All-Star Saturday Night, and NBA Draft.

College Football

If it’s NCAA football markets you seek, you’ve come to the right place. DraftKings offers an extensive list of college football betting markets with moneyline, spread, and total plays for most Division I games on any given Saturday during the season. You can also find a large assortment of quarter-by-quarter or halftime plays. Depending on regulations in your region, you can also wager on team and player props.

College Basketball

You’ll find one of the industry's most robust college basketball betting markets at DraftKings. Futures bets are available year-round. Marquee games and smaller markets during the regular season are also covered well. DraftKings kicks things up a notch like most sportsbooks when March Madness tips off.

NHL Betting

DraftKings offers a healthy number of hockey betting markets every day during the season and into the Stanley Cup playoffs. In addition to moneyline, puckline, and total plays, bettors have access to team and player props, along with period-specific betting markets. You’ll often find regionalized promos and odds boosts supporting your favorite local team.

MLB Betting

DraftKings offers comprehensive baseball betting markets for pre-game bets (moneyline, runline, total) and in-game action (five innings moneyline/run line, player props, team props). This is a top sport to utilize the “Flash Bet” feature at DraftKings, which offers one of the industry's best live streaming and live betting platforms.

Other Sports Leagues

You will see a massive A-Z list of sports offered at DraftKings, which includes Aussie Rules, Bandy, Basketball (NBA, NCAAB, Int’l), Boxing, Cricket, Curling, Cycling, Darts, eSports, Football (NFL, NCAAF, CFL, XFL, USFL), Golf, Greyhounds, Handball, Hockey (NHL, Int’l), Lacrosse, Motor Sports (NASCAR, F1), Netball, Olympics, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer (Multiple Int’l Leagues. Int’l Competition, World Cup), Table Tennis, Tennis, Track & Field, Trotting, Snooker, Squash, Surfing, Winter Sports, Volleyball.

Online Betting Experience

The online sports betting experience at DraftKings Sportsbook is excellent. It has completed the migration to SBTech, providing a similar experience to other SBTech customers like Betway.

Website Experience

The sports betting site looks excellent, with light gray text on a dark background and some flashes of green to brighten it up. There is no search option, so you have to navigate toward a particular game. The navigation system is smooth and user-friendly, and we were able to find games quickly.

Mobile Betting and Betting App

The DraftKings mobile app has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 on the app store after more than a quarter of a million users reviewed it, which is an outstanding score.

The DraftKings mobile app is well-designed and easy to use. I tested it on many different iPhones and Android devices for this sportsbook review, and was mpressed with its performance. Other sportsbooks face difficulties with geolocation, but DraftKings users have not reported many issues. 

Live Betting

You can enjoy in-play betting on hundreds of sporting events weekly at DraftKings online sportsbook. Click on the “Live In-Game” option to see a list of events covered. You will find dozens of live betting markets on various games daily. Customers can also stream certain games live within the DraftKings mobile app, including German soccer and Korean baseball, courtesy of a partnership with Sportradar.

Casino, Poker, & Other Gaming Options

DraftKings offers an online casino in Ontario.

The DraftKings Casino is well organized compared to some competitors who offer a chaotic adventure of overstimulation when you get into their casino. The left menu is easy to navigate and find the exact game types you're looking for, while the promos are accessible but not overbearing. The casino games at DraftKings are from leading software development companies such as NetEnt and IGT. 

I would like to see more live dealer games added in the future. DraftKings only offers a handful of live dealer options, which falls behind other betting sites like BetMGM and Caesars, which offer over a dozen each.

Casino games are one of the largest sources of customer complaints from more prominent betting sites, so play at your own risk. Despite common complaints, DraftKings does enlist the help of a fully independent and accredited testing laboratory, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), which provides the industry’s leading testing and certification services. GLI verifies technical compliance with the standards and jurisdictional regulations adopted by the gaming authorities.

This testing includes DraftKings Casino's random number generators to ensure that the outcomes are randomly generated within established fairness specifications and provides verification to each regulator that the random number generator meets the regulatory specifications for fair play.

DraftKings was initially famous for its daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests. It covers football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, golf, tennis, NASCAR, Aussie Rules, and eSports. DraftKings has not yet launched an online racebook, which is a potential area for expansion, as rival betting site FanDuel has a racebook.

DraftKings History

DraftKings was founded as a daily fantasy sports platform by Jason Robins, Matthew Kalish, and Paul Liberman on December 31, 2011. Its primary headquarters are in Boston, MA. The company has approximately 2,600 employees and is aggressively growing with plans to open a secondary headquarters in Las Vegas. MLB has an investment stake in the company and is a partner. DraftKings also owns Vegas Sports Information Network, Inc. (VSiN), a multi-platform broadcast and content company.

In August 2018, DraftKings Sportsbook launched in New Jersey, making it the first company to offer legal, mobile, and online sports betting after the overturn of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). 

DraftKings Sportsbook was powered by Kambi, but DK then merged with another white-label provider – SBTech – and a special purpose acquisition company in 2020. It, therefore, migrated from the Kambi platform to SBTech’s sportsbook. That SPAC deal saw DraftKings ($DKNG) list on the New York Stock Exchange, providing the company with a great deal of capital.

In September 2020, DraftKings announced a partnership with ESPN, making them the exclusive daily fantasy sports provider and a co-exclusive partner for gambling link-outs from the network. DraftKings powers sports and gaming entertainment for operators in 17 countries. It also offers retail sports betting in partnership with casinos throughout the country.

Customer Ratings & Reputation

DraftKings has a decent reputation among the sports betting community, especially for beginner bettors. It already had a loyal base of DFS customers, so the shift to legal sports betting was natural. 

However, you will not be very welcome if you’re a sharp bettor, high-limits bettor, or even lucky enough to go on a tear. Like many major Ontario sportsbooks, DraftKings will be swift to limit you if you’re consistently beating them. 

Co-Founder and CEO Jason Robins has been one of the most brutally honest and outspoken on multiple occasions regarding how much the company despises winning bettors to the point of making the company look dishonest. His antics have caused an uproar on social media channels like Twitter and have had a hand in the company’s stock price plummeting.

Customer Service

Customer service is a weak point for DraftKings. It does not offer a phone line, so you must fill in a web form and wait for someone in the customer service team to email you. You can chat to a bot, but it can only search the online sports betting site’s FAQ section, which does not provide nuanced responses. Rival online sports betting sites offer excellent 24/7 customer support through live chat, phone, and email, so DraftKings is behind the curve in this regard.

DraftKings Contact

• 24/7 Live Chat
• Email: [email protected]
• Callback support for complex issues for Sportsbook and Casino only.
• Customer Support Twitter: @DK_Assist

DraftKings Legal Betting

DraftKings Sportsbook is regulated in Ontario by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and iGaming Ontario.

Responsible Gambling

Here's a list of recommended responsible gambling resources available to DraftKings Ontario players:

• ResponsibleGambling.org: The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is a respected, independent non-profit organization. They have been a leader in preventing problem gambling in Canada and globally for more than 35 years. Operators in Ontario are required to register with RGC to operate in the province.
• ConnexOntario: ConnexOntario provides service information for people experiencing problems with gambling, drugs, alcohol, or mental health. Helpful, supportive system navigation specialists answer all calls, emails, or web chat requests 24/7. Call 1-866-531-2600 for more info.
• BeGambleAware.org: offers free, confidential help and support to anyone worried about gambling for themselves or others.
• Gambling Therapy: a global service provided by Gordon Moody offering free emotional support and advice to anyone affected by gambling.

Why Choose DraftKings?

You get a mixed bag with DraftKings depending on your skill and intent. If you’re a casual fan who likes betting on your favorite team or just getting in on some action for marquee events, DraftKings is one of the best sportsbooks in the industry for you. The engaging promos and free-to-play games they offer are some of the best in the industry.

This is an easy choice if you already have a DFS account with DraftKings. You can link your DFS account with DraftKings Sportsbook to give yourself a seamless one-stop shop, even if you're no longer able to use that DFS account in Ontario.

The downside with DraftKings is that if you are a regular bettor or even semi-profitable, you will not be playing here long. DraftKings has one of the most aggressive anti-winning player philosophies in all sports betting and will render your account useless if you go on a tear. So, be ready to have multiple accounts if you plan on gambling regularly.

Exploring Other Sportsbooks

Interested in checking out what else is in the market? Start with our guides on the best sportsbooks, betting sites, and sports betting apps in the industry: