DraftKings acquires Israeli global jackpot and gaming startup BlueRibbon

The last time we wrote about DraftKings was back in the winter of 2019 when the fantasy sports startup filed to go public in a $3.3 billion merger deal. Much has changed since our last coverage. The startup finally went public in April 2020 $2.7 billion SPAC deal with Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company.

Today, DraftKings announced that it has acquired Blue Ribbon Software, a Tel Aviv-based leading global jackpot and gamification startup that provides platform-agnostic, real-time gamification tools that allow for fully customizable jackpot promotions.

With this acquisition, DraftKings will now be able to enhance the customer experience by integrating BlueRibbon’s unique jackpot functionality, including personalized promotions and rewards tailored to the individual customer or jackpots that payout across DraftKings’ various product offerings.

“Integrating BlueRibbon’s proprietary, proven technology will enable DraftKings to create dynamic incentives for our users as they engage with our products,” said Paul Liberman, DraftKings co-founder and President, Global Technology and Product. “The team at BlueRibbon brings technical and gamification expertise and broad industry experience to DraftKings, and we are excited to leverage this technology to further differentiate our product offerings and engage customers in new ways.”

BlueRibbon was founded in 2017 by CEO Amir Askarov and CMO Dan Fischer, veterans of the iGaming industry with decades of experience working within regulated markets. Askarov and Fischer, together with Idan Fridman as CTO, led BlueRibbon’s development of jackpot technology that can be applied to any vertical, game or content. Customers are able to enjoy a seamless experience as they play the jackpots, offering a new layer of excitement and anticipation during gameplay.

“We created BlueRibbon to give companies the ability to differentiate themselves within the highly competitive sports betting and iGaming industries with unique and innovative marketing platforms,” said Askarov. “Joining DraftKings will allow us to continue to build our platform to enhance the player experience and to strengthen our Tel Aviv-based team.”
DraftKings intends to fully integrate BlueRibbon’s leadership and current employee base, located in Tel Aviv, into its global workforce. In addition, DraftKings intends to increase its hiring in its Tel Aviv office.

Founded in 2011 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish, and Paul Liberman, DraftKings provides online daily and weekly fantasy sports contests for cash prizes in major sports in the United States and Canada. It offers daily leagues for fantasy football, baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, college football, and college basketball. DraftKings is now live with mobile and/or retail sports betting in 14 U.S. states, more than any other operator, and recently announced the acquisition of VSiN, a multi-platform broadcasting and content company delivering trusted sports betting news, analysis, and data to U.S. sports bettors.