Delta Air Lines Announces Deal With DraftKings, But What Exactly Is It?

Posted: January 9, 2025, 04:07 pm.

Last updated: January 9, 2025, 04:09 pm.

Delta Air Lines is partnering with DraftKings in a deal that has many industry watchers – both gambling and transportation – scratching their heads.

The announcement was made by Delta CEO Ed Bastian on Wednesday during a keynote presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is currently in full swing in Las Vegas. Bastian's speech at Sphere focused on how technology is advancing the customer's flight experience, and included the following announcement in between.

“Since we are here in Las Vegas, the gaming capital of the world, it is only fitting to announce a collaboration with DraftKings, one of the world’s leading online gaming platforms, for the Delta Sync experience,” Bastian said.

From fantasy sports to online adventures, gaming has become a regular part of the daily lives of many of our customers, and they shouldn't stop just because they're in the sky. Our partnership with DraftKings will build on the portfolio of games we already offer today…”

He can't talk about gambling on a plane, can he?

Section 41311 of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act states: “An air carrier or foreign air carrier may not install, transport, or operate or allow for use any gambling device on aircraft in foreign air transportation.”

This means that gambling is prohibited not only on any US carrier, but also on any flight originating or terminating in the United States.

Card in the air?

Bastian is perhaps being intentionally vague about the terms of the deal, which have not yet been officially announced by DraftKings, although company CEO Jason Robbins was nodding along appreciatively in the audience.

It's likely that, for now, the agreement includes some kind of cross promotion where passengers can register inflight for DraftKings for play-money games. Perhaps they will also be able to earn airmiles through the DraftKings rewards program.

This also means that should inflight gambling become legal in the near future, everything will make for a quick and potentially very profitable rollout.

These figures were shocking enough at the time to prompt a concerted effort by a coalition of international airlines to lobby Congress to repeal the gambling ban. Is there a possibility of a new lobbying effort this time from Delta and DraftKings?

casino.org DraftKings and Delta Air Lines have been contacted for comment.

potential disturbance

The first use of in-flight gambling began in 1981 when Singapore Airlines installed slots on their Boeing 747s. According to the airline blog View from the Wing, they were closed after too many passengers gathered around the machines in the rear cabin, after exhaust and service issues arose.

Today, in the UK, where there is no ban on mid-air gambling, Ryanair and other budget airlines sell instant-win scratchcards as an attractive sideline, but have stopped inflight gambling entirely.

This is because gambling is a well-known “mood modifier” and there is a risk that losers may become aggressive, putting the crew and other passengers at risk.