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Delta partners with DraftKings; inflight gambling with SkyMiles not yet planned

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Delta partners with DraftKings; inflight gambling with SkyMiles not yet planned
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Ashley Kosciolek Senior cruise writer | The Points Guy

Delta Air Lines has announced a new partnership with online sports betting company DraftKings. This collaboration was revealed by Delta CEO Ed Bastian during his keynote speech at CES, a major consumer electronics show held in Las Vegas. The announcement was part of a broader unveiling that included Bluetooth-capable seatback screens and partnerships with Uber and YouTube.

Bastian stated, "From fantasy sports to online adventures, gaming has become a regular part of the daily lives of millions of our customers. And you shouldn't have to hit pause just because you're in the sky." However, he clarified that the partnership does not currently involve using SkyMiles for gambling purposes.

The deal with DraftKings will expand on Delta's existing inflight games portfolio. Currently, passengers can use Delta's free "Delta Sync" Wi-Fi to play games like Wordle or participate in Delta's Sky Hopper game, which offers Delta SkyMiles loyalty members the chance to win up to $400 in gift cards.

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Details about what this collaboration will entail are still forthcoming. A company spokesperson noted, "Specific details on the agreement and the type of DraftKings offerings coming to Delta Sync [Wi-Fi] will be shared when they're finalized."

Tim Mapes, Delta's chief communications officer, hinted at future possibilities for the partnership. He said, "The DraftKings announcement we made: If you played that forward — and I'm not saying this is where we're going — but if you played that forward, international flights could have gambling. International flights could gamble with SkyMiles as a currency."

Legal restrictions currently prevent airlines from offering gambling on commercial flights within U.S. airspace. Despite this, Delta seems interested in exploring potential opportunities within the gambling industry while considering how its frequent flyer miles might be used creatively.

Mapes added, "You have a currency in SkyMiles, and you have all these different means to accumulate, redeem, find new ways of valuing that currency or elevating the utility of that currency in ways that people really enjoy."

Any deeper involvement between Delta and DraftKings would likely attract regulatory scrutiny given recent increased oversight by Congress and federal agencies over airline loyalty programs.

For now, passengers can expect some form of game offerings through this partnership without actual wagers involved. Whether gambling with frequent flyer miles becomes feasible remains uncertain.

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