The New York Knicks’ NBA title run and the World Cup’s group stage have produced a notable streak of customer-friendly outcomes at DraftKings over the last few weeks.
Key Takeaways
- The Knicks offered many plus-odds opportunities in futures and in-game markets.
- Big names and major soccer countries collaborated in customer-friendly winning.
- The World Cup’s betting handle is rivaling March Madness.
Johnny Avello, the online sportsbook’s director, told Covers that DraftKings had big liabilities in the futures market with the Knicks.
The operator didn’t get crushed every game, but there were some massive Knicks comebacks, and this was a team that got hot in May and June, so bettors were taking all sorts of plus-odds numbers.
“The Finals went well for the people on the other side of the counter, which is good,” Avello said. “Good for them.”
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
World Cup winnings
What DraftKings didn’t see coming was the success bettors would have loading up on World Cup same-game parlays in group matches featuring big nations and high-profile players.
Things were actually going fine at DraftKings in the early goings of the World Cup, outside of Team USA's two big wins, as there were enough draws to kill off customer profits. However, once the big names like Kylian Mbappe of France, Lionel Messi of Argentina, and Erling Haaland of Norway started pouring in goals and wins, red numbers began to rack up.
“The public was taking all of those options that they had in same-game parlay,” Avello said. “Not only on straight bets to win the game, not only on straight bets covering a goal and a half, but also in same-game parlays to win all of those options on guys that score at least a goal, score two goals.
“The public really, really did well in some of those days, and we got smoked.”
Feels like Sunday
Avello said it’s both sharps and public bettors who have hit the sportsbook hard recently, reminding him of customer-friendly NFL results. When France, England, Spain, and Brazil have won big, it’s like the Chiefs, Lions, Bills, and Eagles all winning big as favorites.
“The (NFL) games, where they're all kind of tied in together, happen on one day a week, and that's a Sunday, and so that's kind of what happened here, but it's happening on a daily basis,” Avello said. “You'll see days, sometimes every other day, where the public just had an outstanding day, so they'll have a couple of good days, and we'll have a couple of good days.”
Live betting has been very popular among DraftKings customers, allowing them to get in on better numbers when a favorite starts slowly.
“It's not like football, where there's a play every minute, every second,” Avello said. “It's not like golf, where there's a shot every second. There are times that you can get your bets in, you can see what the flow of the game is, and you can see that a draw always starts off as a plus. Sometimes by the end of the game, the draw is the favorite, and so there are a lot of different ways to bet on it.”
Amazing handles
DraftKings doesn’t divulge specific figures when it comes to wins and losses, but these aren’t lightly bet games between the NBA Finals and the World Cup. The Knicks produced massive television ratings and got more than just a major city backing them.
New York sportsbooks reported a $48.5-million loss during the week the Knicks clinched. DraftKings lost more than $14 million in the most lucrative sports betting jurisdiction in the U.S.
The World Cup has been no slouch when it comes to tickets, either. It was certainly expected to bring major betting attention to the U.S., one of the three host nations for FIFA’s premier soccer event. Avello believes it’s going to rival the type of action March Madness gets at DraftKings.
“The handle has been amazing,” Avello said.
World Cup goal-scoring leaders, all-time:
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) June 28, 2026
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi [19]
🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe [16]
🇩🇪 Miroslav Klose [16]
🇧🇷 Ronaldo [15]
🇩🇪 Gerd Müller [14]
Witnessing history every time he's on the pitch 🐐 pic.twitter.com/VMkupPNj0l
Surpassing expectations?
The American Gaming Association projected earlier this year that the NCAA tournaments would generate a $3.1-billion legal sports betting handle. Some of the World Cup estimates were just below $3 billion for the 104-match event.
“For me personally, it's met the expectations,” Avello said. “I think for our company, I think it's over expectations. I'm not sure everybody thought this would be as big as it is. I thought it would be. I know what the World Cup is. I've seen it in the past. Last World Cup, same-game parlays didn't even exist, so yeah, this thing has just been crazy, crazy good.”
Avello attributes some of that heavy action to the game times. With the U.S. hosting, matches are on throughout the day, including heavy doses of soccer in primetime, which is always a good position for sports to draw wagering.
“It just fits all the games, fits into the time zones across the country, and for people who are working and off work,” Avello said. “I'm sure people are taking off work to watch these games, because there are some huge soccer fans in our country.”
