The World Poker Tour (WPT) recently confirmed that it has entered into a strategic partnership with DraftKings, a specialist real-money daily fantasy sports website that is located in Boston. This new partnership will help the WPT to further strengthen and maximise its offerings.
The agreement gives DraftKings exclusive rights to serve as the WPT’s daily fantasy sports site. DraftKings will immediately take up immediate responsibility of operating live promotions and contests at all WPT stops in the U.S. for the rest of Season XII.
In a release, WPT President Adam Pliska said
Fantasy sports players like poker players rely on a combination of skill and strategic analysis to be successful. DraftKings understands this, and we think our players are going to really enjoy the level of competition they’ll find playing in DraftKings’ daily fantasy tournaments.
DraftKings will also be responsible for hosting parties for all WPT players who are at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas and the WPT bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble.
Anthony Pitts, VP Marketing at DraftKings said
DraftKings is very excited about partnering with the World Poker Tour. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports is a dream product for pokers players; it’s fun and easy to play, accessible, and strong analytical skills give you a decided advantage. We’re looking forward to showcasing our product to the poker community.
The daily fantasy sports market has experienced exponential growth in the past few years and has captured the interested of a number of players. Jonathan Aguiar was a professional player who was really taken up the fantasy sports market. Aguiar decided to give up his poker playing career and opted for a regular job at DraftKings. Aguiar felt it was easy for him to make the decision and the transition because the fantasy sports industry has a number of similarities to that of online poker.
Aguiar said
I think we are seeing the beginning of [a boom similar to the poker boom] right now, which is why I got involved. It is also what made my skillset attractive to DraftKings. I’ve already lived through the boom once. In fact, I can remember what it felt like to have that excitement. I’m seeing a lot of young kids who are starting to supplement their lives or create full-time jobs for themselves playing fantasy sports because they are understanding of sports and the math necessary to beat these games. It is very beatable. … I don’t know if we will have a Chris Moneymaker moment, but I think it will have word of mouth that spreads like wildfire.
