DraftKings AI Hunts For Losing Gamblers

Research firm MarketsandMarkets projects the global market for AI in sports will grow from $1.03B in 2024 to $2.61B by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 16.7%.

Teams are the largest buyers today, while e-sports is the fastest-growing segment and Asia Pacific the fastest-growing region, driven by injury prevention, live game strategy and automated content.

The vendor list is dominated by enterprise software firms including IBM, Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, Salesforce and SAP, with sports specialists Sportradar and Hudl competing for the same budgets.

Prediction market platform Kalshi asked regulators to allow margin trading, letting users borrow money to place bigger bets on future events.

This move aims to attract large institutional investors who already use borrowed money to trade traditional stocks and derivatives.

The new feature will exclude sports and pop culture bets, remaining strictly available to approved professional traders meeting specific financial requirements.

Sports media brand Front Office Sports is debuting a 30-minute, nationally syndicated TV show airing Monday through Saturday.

Hosted by Matt Iseman, the program covers the business, entertainment, and cultural stories happening off the field.

Comedian Kevin Hart teased the show by revealing an upcoming YouTube golf match against basketball star LeBron James.

Sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith leads the rankings, earning $40M a year thanks to major contracts with ESPN and SiriusXM.

Former professional football players Tom Brady and Pat McAfee rank next, making $37.5M and $30M annually for their highly rated commentary shows.

Half of these ten highest-paid sports personalities also host popular podcasts, proving that expanding into audio is highly profitable for TV stars.

Jerry Jones, the influential owner of the Dallas Cowboys, minimized the chances of the American football league adding a permanent European franchise.

While the league plays international games yearly to boost revenue, an overseas team faces severe travel and logistical hurdles.

His remarks indicate the sports organization will focus on domestic growth rather than launching a permanent franchise in Europe.

Entertainment venue Topgolf and Spark Golf, a community of 300K players, are starting a six-week casual league this October.

Participants will pay $44 per round to compete on virtual courses using Topgolf's advanced ball-tracking technology.

The partnership removes the pressure of traditional leagues, offering beginners and experts a relaxed way to socialize.

Global retail brand JD Sports has partnered with AI search platform Algolia to upgrade its digital shopping systems.

The retailer will use Algolia to build an agentic commerce strategy, utilizing AI agents to automate customer purchases.

This technology upgrade aims to make online shopping faster and more intuitive for everyday consumers visiting the brand.

A New York Times report claims sports betting operator DraftKings built AI tools to offer bonuses to users expected to lose money.

The company denies targeting losses, though former staff claim projects using similar technology to detect gambling addiction were ultimately canceled.

Facing revenue drops to $1.4B despite $13.1B in total betting volume, the firm relies on AI to boost promotional profit margins by 13%.