Steve Aoki to Join DraftKings as Brand Ambassador for DraftKings Marketplace
DraftKings to Drop Aoki 2022 All-Star Access Pass for Reignmakers Football
BOSTON & LOS ANGELES – (September 9, 2022) – Today, DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) and Steve Aoki announced that the two-time Grammy-nominated DJ and producer has agreed to become an official brand ambassador of DraftKings Marketplace. Aoki will support DraftKings’ Web3 efforts, with an emphasis on the Reignmakers franchise, an NFT-based fantasy sports series where players will be able to build a collection of NFT player cards with which they can draft a lineup for use in fantasy sports-style games. Aoki will collaborate on and promote digital collectibles that are exclusive to DraftKings Marketplace. These digital collectibles are intended to represent Aoki’s interests and focus on the intersection of sports, entertainment and culture. The first collection, the Aoki 2022 All-Star Access Pass, is slated to drop on Wednesday, September 14, and customers who purchase the collection will receive special access to private Reignmakers Football contests during the 2022 professional football season.
“Steve Aoki is globally recognized for his contributions to the music industry and more recently, for his involvement with digital collectibles. I am excited to welcome him to the DraftKings family,” said Matt Kalish, DraftKings co-founder and president, DraftKings North America. “Having him on board will provide us with a refreshing perspective for future, community-driven projects, and I look forward to bringing new experiences to our customers and to Steve’s fans.”
As part of the strategic relationship, DraftKings and Aoki will collaborate to develop NFT collections that feature DraftKings-specific utility. Additionally, DraftKings Marketplace customers who purchase Aoki’s collections will be eligible for special prizes, including VIP events hosted by DraftKings and tickets to Aoki’s future shows.
"I am excited to be working with DraftKings to build out the next generation of fantasy sports,” said Aoki. “Through Reignmakers Football, DraftKings customers can have ownership of their rosters in an innovative way that Web3 can provide."
The Aoki 2022 All-Star Access Pass will give collectors access to private Reignmakers Football contests, where they can compete head-to-head with other community members for rare prizes. Contests are expected to begin starting in week two of the professional football season and run throughout the 2022 season. Winners will be eligible for prizes that include exclusive in-person experiences with Steve Aoki, rewards and cash payouts. The final week’s contest is expected to include an Aoki Poker Night experience and additional cash payouts.
For more information on DraftKings Marketplace, Reignmakers Football and upcoming drops, customers can visit marketplace.draftkings.com. More in-depth details about the 2022 Aoki All-Star Access Pass are available here.
About DraftKings
DraftKings Inc. is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirit of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for operators in 17 countries. The company operates iGaming in 5 states through its DraftKings brand, as well as operating Golden Nugget Online Gaming, an award-winning iGaming product and iconic gaming brand, in 3 states. DraftKings’ Sportsbook is live with mobile and/or retail betting operations in the United States pursuant to regulations in 19 states and in Ontario, Canada. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 6 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is both an official daily fantasy and sports betting partner of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA TOUR and UFC as well as an official daily fantasy partner of NASCAR. Launched in August 2021, DraftKings Marketplace is a digital collectibles ecosystem designed for mainstream accessibility that offers curated NFT drops and supports secondary-market transactions. DraftKings also owns Vegas Sports Information Network (VSiN), a multi-platform broadcast and content company.
About Steve Aoki
Counting nearly 4 billion music streams to his name, Steve Aoki is a true visionary. Billboard described the 2x-GRAMMY-Nominated artist/DJ/producer and Dim Mak Records founder as “one of the most in-demand entertainers in the world.” As a long-time collector and "an unabashed futurist" (Fortune), Aoki has been at the forefront with his NFT collaborations, generating over $4 million with the launch of his first NFT, the Dream Catcher series. He also co-created the first blockchain-based episodic series with Dominion X, partnered with Sotheby's on their Contemporary Curated series, and recently partnered with comic book legend Todd McFarlane to create OddKey, an NFT marketplace on the Solana blockchain for comic artists to freely showcase and sell their original digital artwork.
Forward-Looking Statements
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