DraftKings CEO Jason Robins Facebook Live Chat Summary

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DraftKings CEO Jason Robins answered questions about the recently announced merger with FanDuel, discussed plans to expand internationally, and gave viewers a sense of what the future holds for DraftKings in a Facebook Live Chat on Tuesday.

Robins took several viewer-submitted questions, many of which were focused on the merger and how it would impact both companies.

Here’s a brief summary of the chat:

Merger Details Will Come

Robins made it clear that while he understands users are anxious for clarity on the merger, it’s too early for details as the focus is currently on getting the deal done. When asked about what the new platform will look like, Robins went as far as saying he doesn’t have answers to that yet. He did assure viewers that both companies are working hard together to ensure the transition will be smooth:

“We promise that all the decisions that end up being made are going to be really well thought out and I would encourage anyone who has opinions on what you think would make the experience best for you, what you like about both DraftKings and FanDuel, what you’d like to see as a part of the ultimate combined entity, to let us know. We can’t take feedback if we don’t know about it. Let us know and we’ll try to incorporate as much of that into our thinking as possible and we do have a little bit of time. We’re not going to rush to any decisions. We want to make sure we get it right.”

Robins would later go on to speak very highly of the FanDuel team:

“Even though DraftKings and FanDuel for a long time have had a bitter rivalry, I’ve been so pleasantly surprised and thrilled as I’ve gotten to know the people over there. It’s so similar in terms of who the people are. A lot of people are passionate about the product…(and) the fantasy sports industry. It’s just really exciting to me to see that’s really what’s risen above for everyone. Everyone just wants to do what takes the fantasy sports industry to new heights and what allows us to serve all of you the best possible experience. When you have two teams that are like that, good things are going to come from collaborating together.”

International Expansion on the Horizon

Earlier this year, DraftKings rolled out their product in the United Kingdom and Robins said he’s been excited by the early results. He mentioned that the DraftKings product in the United Kingdom is already significantly ahead of where the United States product was in its first year. When asked about expansion in the coming years outside of these two countries, he answered with a defiant, “absolutely.” While Robins did not provide specifics in terms of countries and timing, he said their Chief International Officer is working to evaluate those plans and that announcements will be made once expansion is finalized.

The Big Wins in 2016

Robins was very vocal in this thankfulness for everyone’s support and ideas that poured in this year. DraftKings Leagues, a platform where you can play private games against friends, came from user feedback and has already seen significant growth in its early stages. Robins mentioned that Leagues will continue to be built out.

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DK Live, a fantasy scoring app that Robins called “the first of its kind,” was launched in 2016. Robins likened it to the NFL RedZone but geared towards the fantasy sports community. When asked about its availability for Android, Robins promised they will eventually get there.

Despite non-stop headlines about legal battles this year, Robins actually viewed the legal changes in 2016 as a positive that will help the long term growth of the industry. DraftKings went from being unregulated to regulated, which was something he embraced and Robins wants to carry that positive momentum into 2017.

What’s To Come

Speaking of 2017, Robins used the Facebook Live Chat to share his vision for the near future. When asked about whether DraftKings would bring back late swap for its NBA product (a feature that allowed users to make lineup changes after the first game started), Robins acknowledged there are two passionate camps of people on this topic. For NBA specifically, he said the company researched what customers wanted and the majority preferred no late swap, which is why they changed the default option. However, he mentioned the technology team is currently working on a project that may allow for DraftKings to offer different types of games, possibly giving users the ability to have late swap again as an option. The specific example he used was an NFL product with and without kickers.

Robins was very clear about his excitement for 2017 and the future of the DFS industry:

“We can start to focus back on how we make our product get to the next level. How do we grow from a few million people to tens of millions of people playing fantasy sports on platforms like Yahoo and ESPN? How do we become something that really blends the experience of watching the game, following the stats, playing fantasy, all into one experience and gives you guys what you want at the point and time you want it? I think technology is going to enable so many cool things in the coming years. We just want to be at the forefront of that.”

You can find the full interview with Robins here.

About the Author

fathalpert
Allan Lem (fathalpert)

Allan Lem (aka fathalpert) began playing fantasy sports in high school and transitioned to DFS in 2015. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Economics and lives in California with his wife and two kids. Allan got his break in the industry covering Preseason NBA content. He is currently the Social Media Manager for RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and FantasyLabs. Follow Allan on Twitter – @AllanLemDFS