When Caesars Sportsbook creates a new product, Dominic Hammond doesn't want to wait for NFL season to roll around before launching it.
Key Takeaways
- Caesars is bringing its Flex Parlay feature to NFL and college football.
- The operator is adding new free-to-play games, including Squad Builder.
- NFL bettors will get injury protection and new monthly player-prop markets.
The president of Caesars’ digital segment told Covers on Thursday that he wants fun features to be available when they’re ready to go, even though football is the bread and butter of every sports betting operator.
That philosophy served Caesars well during the World Cup when “Flex Parlay” debuted, and NFL bettors will soon get a chance to experience what Hammond called the “banner” feature for the gaming company this year.
Flex Parlays gives bettors the chance to build a multi-leg wager and select multiple picks to “flex,” allowing a loss or two to still result in a payout.
Customers who haven’t used this feature before will see a toggle for “Flex Parlay” in their betslip after adding several wagers, whether it's a regular parlay, same-game parlay, or super parlay. The pricing and odds will then be displayed based on a bet or two failing.
“I think we all remember the time we've lost our parlay by one or two (legs),” Hammond said. “You've seen plenty of these promotions over time where if you lose your parlay by one, you get your money back as a bonus. There's one thing better than that, and that's still getting a win and getting a cash payout.”
The feature will be available for both NFL and college football betting.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
Protect that bet
Wager protection is a recurring theme among Caesars' new football-season products, adding to its existing “Bet Rest” promotion.
For the first time, Caesars will offer online bettors their money back or remove a player prop from a parlay if an NFL player is injured in the first half. The injury protection feature means cash returns, not bonus bets.
Many of Caesars' competitors, including FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics, have already introduced similar injury-protection features. BetMGM announced earlier this week that it's launching its version of injury insurance this fall.
Injury protection is something Caesars did manually for a few specific injuries last year, and Hammond said the operator took its time to refine the feature and “build it the right way,” keeping the focus on cash.
“We knew how we wanted to deliver it, and it was about giving the customers the best experience because the worst thing to do is there’s an injury, and you’ve got to give us 24 hours and we'll get your money back or bonus will be uploaded in 24 hours,” Hammond said. “We wanted to make it as simple and as integrated and as real-time as possible.”
Building a squad
Caesars has invested heavily in free-to-play contests and gamification over the past couple of years, including NFL and NBA Flips, MLB's over/under game, and pick'em competitions. That strategy continued during the World Cup, when the operator ran a March Madness-style bracket for soccer's premier event and a daily spin promotion.
For football season, Caesars is introducing “Squad Builder,” a weekly in-app contest. Users build a seven-player roster through a reveal as the week goes along, and customers who correctly select all seven players will share a $50,000 weekly prize. Each player is tied to a prop, allowing users to turn their roster into a pre-populated Flex Parlay - a feature Hammond called a “driving force” behind Squad Builder.
“We think our customers are going to like it,” Hammond said. “Obviously, we like the player props, something that ties into Flex, and just giving customers something to do every day that builds toward the payout, the reward on Sunday.”
A busy year
Caesars is also running a new promotion this year centered around the first touchdown scored on Sundays. Participants in the “First Sunday Six $2M Bonus Bet Jackpot” will compete for a $500,000 prize during each of the first four weeks of the NFL season.
The product is part of Caesars’ expanded NFL betting markets, which include new monthly totals. Bettors can wager on the most rushing yards or who will catch the most touchdowns in September. Bettors can also wager on which teams will score the most or fewest points during the first month.
Caesars also promises enhanced same-game parlays for NFL and college football, as well as more live betting opportunities. The online operator has upgraded the app to make college football more user-friendly for fans of certain teams.
Caesars and William Hill are expanding in-person sportsbooks across the state this year, and the operator will offer multiple retail contests.
Caesars recently took over the famous Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, and entries are open for the SuperContest, SuperContest Gold, SuperContest Survivor, and SuperContest College. The gaming operator plans to continue the contests next year.
