The Pat McAfee Show has a new official sportsbook tied to the program. Following several years without an official sportsbook partner, DraftKings has signed onto a multi-year agreement with the program.
What We Know: The Pat McAfee Show has officially partnered with DraftKings in a multi-year agreement. The deal marks a significant shift for McAfee, who previously held a lucrative, long-term partnership with FanDuel. That relationship ultimately ended when McAfee joined ESPN in 2023. Now, DraftKings steps in as the show’s exclusive sportsbook home.
What They Said: Pat McAfee: “DraftKings Sports is nationwide. Predictive markets are in states where there isn’t sports gambling. There’s fantasy, obviously, in a few other states that don’t have the predictive markets or sports gambling. We’ll be creating new bets, creating new odds, creating fun ways to bet on sports. But also going to remind you every time, need to be responsible.”
DraftKings Spokesperson: “We are excited to announce that DraftKings has entered into a multi-year agreement with The Pat McAfee Show. Fans can expect custom segments, integrations, exciting promotions across the show’s ecosystem and more.”
What Remains Unclear: Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. It also remains unknown whether DraftKings holds full category exclusivity across all betting verticals. Additionally, the specific launch timeline for custom segments and branded content has yet to be announced publicly. It’s also unknown how the multi-year arrangement correlates with McAfee’s current agreement with ESPN.
What It Means: Following the conclusion of ESPN Bet, this deal makes complete sense for McAfee. The agreement follows ESPN re-joining the DraftKings partnership earlier this year, which likely made this a seamless transaction for all. This deal is a meaningful win for DraftKings. Aligning with McAfee’s massive, loyal audience delivers instant credibility and reach. Furthermore, it signals DraftKings’ intent to continue aggressively signing premium media partnerships.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
