DraftKings sportsbook review

DraftKings sportsbook app offers a Bet $5 Get $150 welcome bonus to new players. The $150 is credited as six $25 Bonus Bets and requires a minimum $5 deposit and bet.

The Bonus Bets are single-use non-cashable non-withdrawable and must be wagered 1x and the stake is not included in winnings. They also expire seven days after being awarded. No DraftKings bonus code is needed to claim the welcome bonus.

New players also automatically get a No Sweat NBA same game parlay (SGP) token every day of the NBA playoffs. Every day they can use this token on any 3+ leg SGP relating to the NBA playoffs and if the bet loses it is credited back as a bonus bet.

DraftKings doesn’t disappoint when it comes to offers for new players but as a seasoned punter — I expect a bit more.The $150 in Bonus Bet is not bad but DraftKings is on a trend of decreasing the bonus amount. The 1x wagering requirement is also a massive plus in my book which puts DraftKings ahead of the competition (clocking in an average of 20-30x). All in all it’s the bonus offer is a great start for first-time punters but DraftKing could do with improving variety for existing customers. At the time of writing the ‘Promotions’ page runs rather dry.

DraftKings sportsbook offers 10 depositing methods. You’ll find major credits Play+ online banking options PayPal and more. 10 payment methods is a fair number – of course there are always far fewer ways to withdraw than pay. But with some methods (like PayPal) you can do both.

Here is the complete list of depositing methods for DraftKings sportsbook: Online banking Visa Mastercard Discover DraftKings gift card PayPal Play+ cash at a retail location (Family Dollar CVS Pharmacy Dollar General and 7-Eleven) Wire transfer and VIP preferred e-check.

The following is a list of withdrawal methods: online banking PayPal VIP Preferred e-check Play+ Wire Cage and Checks.

At DraftKings sportsbook depositing methods are instant (or should be). With withdrawals some methods you might think would be instant aren’t instant at all. For example PayPal shouldn’t take 3-5 days (it should be instant after processing). Same with Play+ which DraftKings sportsbook puts at 2-4 withdrawal time.

DraftKings online sportsbook is legal (and licensed) in 19+ states – including major betting states like NJ PA and MI. DraftKings operates using the standard 256-bit encryption two-factor authentication and a GeoComply geo-locator system. All in all DraftKings sportsbook is a safe site for players.

Responsible gambling is taken seriously at DraftKings sportsbook. There’s a dedicated page with clear information. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. You can find it on their responsible gambling page. You’ll also find particular help lines and sites for problem gamblers like the National Council on Problem Gaming and links to specific associations that serve states like NJ and WV. There’s info on cooling-off periods wagering limits and self-exclusion for gamers who feel they have a problem.

On the face of it DraftKings does well – it’s got everything I’d want. Strong security in place – 256-bit encryption two-factor authentication a strict vetting process for uploading documents and a geo-locator. Your personal and financial details will be safe here. I clicked on the responsible gaming seal and landed on their dedicated page. Honestly it’s clearer than other pages I’ve seen (that link you to heavily detailed terms and conditions). If you need help with problem gaming you’ll find it here (there are even links to specific state bodies like the Council on Compulsive Gambling in NJ). My only issue is if you go onto any state-specific DraftKings sites you won’t find trust seals of those sites. DraftKings explicitly states each state’s licensing body in their intro to the landing pages.The help page is generally full of useful info such as how to verify your account but it’s hidden. You have to scroll right down to the footer menu to find it. The RG seal however is right at the top. All in all these are minor points. DraftKings does an excellent job on player safety. 

The support from DraftKings was exactly what I hoped it would be – fast clear and useful. I fired off an email about wagering requirements and the deposit bonus. It was answered in an hour or so (that’s darn good). The live chat was similarly speedy and the responses answered all my points. The sheer number of channels you can contact customer support is impressive to me and the fact that it’s a 24-7 thing. The live chat response was reasonable and my questions were answered in 10-20 minutes or so. That ain’t bad. The help page is a bit hard to find but you can find answers to common questions there. Live chat isn’t available for non-users – and that’s a point against the site for me. But you can always use the email form or find DK on Twitter. I like the fact that you can leave a voicemail. They also offer callbacks. Compare this to another big name in sports betting FanDuel which offers no phone support at all.

DraftKings sportsbook odds are around the standard for the industry: 95.1%. Around 97% is usually the average on the high end. For football odds they’re on average about 95.4% and for basketball they’re a little higher. If you compare that to Golden Nugget sportsbook which offers 95.16% and FanDuel’s 95.30% there really isn’t much in it. 

Live betting payouts are a bit lower at 93.4% than other payouts (like football) but that’s also pretty standard. That number is nothing special compared to other sportsbooks like FanDuel Golden Nugget and BetMGM – which all hover around the 93-94% mark. 

In my deep dive researching for this DraftKings sportsbook review I checked out its main competitors. What DK offers is standard when it comes to odds. There might be a higher percentage here or there but it’s so tiny it’s not worth mentioning. 95% is the standard and compares with Golden Nugget Bet365 FanDuel and others. There isn’t much difference between the odds for major sports. Basketball and Football have pretty much the same odds (on average) – around 95%. You might try placing bets in the Premier League in the UK for some wildly different odds. But as always stick to what you know and if you know is the New York Nets I wouldn’t recommend hunting for great odds for West Ham to beat Liverpool in the Premier League.The live odds are 93% which is also standard (see all online sportsbooks we rate). And it’s understandable from a bookie’s perspective that they wouldn’t want to stick to industry standards. Again there’s nothing to write about but not much to complain about either.

DraftKings sportsbook offers a solid set of betting features. The bet builder (bet slip) is easy to use and pops up even for non-registered users entering the site. Live betting is also available with multiple betting options as the games and events progress. Regarding betting the DraftKings sportsbook app is a user-friendly site with plenty of guides on various bet types and sports to help beginners.

Live betting is available at DraftKings – although it lacks live streaming options. The filtering system is easy to use allowing you to choose your favorite sport team and event. The odds are updated rapidly along with changes in the score. The downside is that there isn’t even graphics to show you what’s going on at the game (Bet365 sportsbook offers this for example).

Want to find the best odds live? DraftKings has got you. Ditto changes to odds. The filtering system is easy to use. And most importantly you can calculate your bet with ease. There are many parlay options – especially for football and basketball fans. I’m not so happy with the lack of live streaming options. Yes you can bet on sports live. Yes the scores are all there and the odds change rapidly. And yes I get that with licensing you can’t expect to watch a full game while you bet. But there are ways to provide more in-depth info and keep players excited about the results. Bet365 sportsbook does a great job on this by providing graphics of the live games. DraftKings could learn something here.

DraftKings comes into its own when it comes to sports you can bet on. As an official partner of the NFL it’s a given that the NFL sports markets at DK are huge. Ditto for college football. But you can also bet on other sports like darts and volleyball. Also if you’re a soccer fan all the major leagues are available (The Premier League Serie A and the Bundesliga). In total you’ll find over 20+ different types of sports to bet on – that compares favorably to Golden Nugget (17 sports) which beats out its big rival FanDuel which offers 19.

There’s a lack of entertainment and politics (and current events) betting options. Esports (a growing market) is missing too. But for all the major US sports DraftKings sportsbook app is solid. 

NFL and College Football fans will be happy with DraftKings sportsbook – it has 200+ markets and every NFL division College team and major event to bet on. Want to try your luck with a same game parlay on your favorite college teams like Florida State? It’s got you covered. It’s got strong offerings for NBA and division one College Basketball too.

Overall in my research for this DraftKings sportsbook review I’m pretty impressed with the offerings for sports to bet on. Of course I expected the site to shine at football betting (it’s officially partnered with the NFL). And shine it does with 200+ teams to bet on.You’ll also find multiple markets for the NBA NFL and NHL. You’ll find all the major international soccer leagues represented. You can also bet on 50+ markets for tennis (and table tennis!). Even darts are covered. Yes darts. Plus all major sporting events from the US Open to the World Series.DraftKings is strong on major sports but it lacks some of the more fun unique betting options like esports politics and entertainment. It’s also missing F1 and NASCAR. Unibet sportsbook offers all these including ESL pro league so that you can bet on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. That’s pretty cool.