DraftKings, one of the leading online sportsbooks and daily fantasy sports leaders, especially among PA online casinos, is putting the finishing touches on acquiring Jackpocket, one of the fastest-growing digital lottery systems outside of the Pennsylvania online gambling market. Back in February, the PA online sports betting giant DraftKings inked a deal worth more than $700 million to Jackpocket’s lottery app system.
Based in Santa Barbara, CA, Jackpocket has tremendous reach because it allows people of legal age to play the lottery in their states on mobile devices. So instead of heading into a supermarket like Safeway or Albertsons or gas stations like 7-Eleven that support the lottery to buy lottery tickets, the Jackpocket app lets you play the lottery directly on the mobile device. Even better, the Jackpocket app even scans the virtual ticket for you to see if you have a winner.
Currently, the Keystone State has an official lottery system that the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board manages. However, the Jackpocket app isn’t legal in Pennsylvania, but that might soon change. Currently, Jackpot is available in almost 20 states. While details are still coming in, it’s expected that Pennsylvania’s virtual lottery system, which is legal, might play a role with Jackpocket should it become legal in the Commonwealth.
With DraftKings Sportsbook dominating the PA iGaming revenue and with online keno already available at most Pennsylvania online casinos, the potential for Jackpocket is through the roof. Already in states like New York, Jackpocket is leading to a more than 12% boost in lottery participation and revenue. DraftKings certainly has high hopes for Jackpocket and is already gambling that the recent acquisition will yield between $250 million and well over $300 million come 2026. And if the more rural parts of Pennsylvania connect with the Jackpocket app, the 2026 totals can swell to well over $400 million by the end of 2028.
When you gross over $200 million, it’s only a matter of time before you’re going to get some attention. So far, big Hollywood and sports names like Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks and Kevin Hart, to name a few. Leading PA sportsbooks like BetMGM use celebrities like Jamie Fox to help promote their online casino brands and promotions. And with the Dallas Mavericks on the verge of making the NBA Finals, should Mark Cuban take an active role promoting Jackpocket, who knows on a financial scale where the DraftKings merger will lead to?
Not wasting time after the acquisition, DraftKings is already promoting Jackpockets. One way is to promote responsible gaming measures. With the American iGaming industry producing over $65 billion in 2022 and with the Pennsylvania online gambling market on pace to generate $1 billion through May of this year, compulsive gambling and other disorders can’t be ignored when Jackpocket becomes legal in the Commonwealth.
