Embracing the popularity of NFTs
DraftKings has revealed that it is planning to launch DraftKings Marketplace, a digital collectibles ecosystem. This marketplace would allow for mainstream accessibility, supporting both curated NFT drops and secondary market transactions. DraftKings announced these plans via Twitter on Wednesday:
It plans to eventually have millions of people using this marketplace in order to easily and quickly trade, buy, and sell digital collectibles directly through their DraftKings account. The collectibles would cover everything from sports to culture and entertainment.
The sports betting operator also announced a new strategic partnership that will see the DraftKings Marketplace become the exclusive content distributor for the NFT platform Autograph. This platform currently leverages the official licensing of major celebrities and athletes to offer a range of digital collectibles.
More information to come
The first drops coming to the DraftKings Marketplace that will be available to USD purchasers will be in the form of a “Pre-Season Access” collection. This collection will offer collectibles from legendary athletes that are a part of Autograph’s roster. People will also have the ability to get preferred access for future releases.
Initially, the DraftKings Marketplace will be the sole purveyor of Autograph’s sports NFTs.
The advisory board at Autograph will aid in the design of custom NFTs that will release through DraftKings Marketplace drops. Initially, the DraftKings Marketplace will be the sole purveyor of Autograph’s sports NFTs. It may extend into other verticals like culture, lifestyle, and entertainment in the future. DraftKings will release further details about the launch of DraftKings Marketplace next month.
Bullish on the space
In the press release announcing the upcoming launch, DraftKings co-founder and president Matt Kalish spoke about how the popularity of NFTs has reignited the world of collectibles and created a huge amount of excitement around the world. He said: “DraftKings Marketplace will sit at the center of this technological and cultural phenomenon, providing our immense existing customer base with an easily accessible experience that rivals all legacy marketplaces.”
He noted how the partnership with Autograph is DraftKings’ first step into this space and he believes that the marketplace’s intuitive interface will lead to long term success.
Autograph founder and CEO Dillon Rosenblatt spoke about how the world of digital collectibles and ownership is an incredible opportunity. He believes that NFTs are the ideal way to connect people to what they love and others who have similar interests. Rosenblatt said: “We want to leverage today’s incredible partnerships to provide continued value to our community”.