Comcast takes step into sports betting with DraftKings tie-up

US cable giant Comcast is making it easier for subscriber to place bets on live sports events by teaming up with sports betting group DraftKings to present odds from the latter direct on TV during lives sports games and events.

Xfinity Odds Zone on X1 is being presented as an on-screen companion experience, making it quick and easy for customers to find betting information and initiate wagers on the DraftKings Sportsbook app.

Xfinity Odds Zone will debut on March 12 for the start of golfing event The Players Championship, with additional sporting events to follow including the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments and NBA and NHL playoffs. Xfinity Odds Zone will also be available for the start of the MLB and NFL regular seasons.

Sports fans will be able view odds directly on the TV, side-by-side with the live coverage. Bets can be initiated by scanning a QR code that will add the wager to a DraftKings bet slip on their mobile device, where they can complete the transaction.

Odds Zone will live within the existing Sports Zone app on X1, which is already used by X1 customers to find and watch live sports and view real-time scores and stats while watching events.

Xfinity Odds Zone will be available to X1 customers in most markets, while the ability to place bets will be restricted to customers living in states where sports betting is legal and DraftKings Sportsbook operates.

“For sports fans, there is no better way to track in-play odds than right next to the live event, so we’re working with DraftKings to bring customers a transformative experience that makes it easy to follow the action and initiate bets while the event unfolds,” said John Dixon, senior vice president, entertainment, Comcast.

Interactive sports experience

Also debuting on March 12, a new interactive sports experience on the X1 box will enable golf fans to follow The Players Championship, aggregating live coverage from NBC, Golf Channel, Peacock, PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ and the Tour’s own FAST channel in one place alongside new interactive features.

Customers will be able to interact with features such as an interactive course tour of all 18 holes of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, a dynamic scorecard that shows how the course is playing in a given round, and a live leaderboard with tee times and in-progress round-by-round scoring.

They will also find curated news and highlights from NBC, ESPN and the PGA Tour FAST channel, which offer live programming powered by new technology available to content partners through Xumo Enterprise. Customers can also launch Xfinity Odds Zone from the experience.