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Introduction
The two giants of US sports betting spend enormous sums fighting for the same customer, with creators a favourite weapon. FanDuel and DraftKings chase a similar audience of young, sports-obsessed fans, yet they go about it differently, drawing on different creators and different models. It is a useful case study in modern performance marketing, with one big caveat: this is a regulated, adults-only category where compliance is not optional.
Here is why sportsbooks turned to creators, how each playbook works, the compliance reality, the lessons, plus how brands find the right creators.
Why sportsbooks turned to creators
This was a strategic shift, not a fad. A few forces pushed betting brands toward influencers.
- Margins started mattering. Early betting marketing leaned on affiliates and search, paying steep sums per sign-up, which got harder to justify.
- Loyalty beats acquisition. Operators realised lifetime value, not a single risk-free bet, is where the money is.
- Authenticity wins. A trusted creator voice cuts through in a way that robotic promotion cannot.
- Fierce competition. With FanDuel, DraftKings and others chasing the same fans, standing out demanded fresh tactics.
The two playbooks
Same goal, different routes. Here is how the two leaders approach creators, with reported figures treated as each brand's own.
| Approach | FanDuel vs DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Creator pool | FanDuel draws from core sports and gaming creators, DraftKings reaches broader media |
| Model | FanDuel ran a long-term, always-on performance model, DraftKings struck flagship personality deals |
| Signature deal | FanDuel with Pat McAfee, DraftKings with Barstool |
| Reported wins | FanDuel cited strong ROI and impressions, DraftKings cited large TikTok reach |
| Shared tactic | Both favour former athletes and personalities with built-in fan bases |
Campaign details and figures attributed to public coverage (Influencer Marketing Hub, CreatorIQ, NeoReach). Figures are brand-reported.
The compliance reality
This is the part that separates betting from any other category. It cannot be an afterthought. Read it as a hard requirement.
The lessons
You do not need a betting licence to borrow what these brands learned. The principles travel to any performance-led program.
Play the long game, since FanDuel's always-on model shows that sustained, incentivised partnerships beat one-off bursts for loyalty and lifetime value. Match the creator to the core audience, the way FanDuel leans on sports and gaming voices its bettors already follow. Keep it authentic, letting content fit naturally into what a creator already makes rather than reading like a forced ad. And in any regulated space, build compliance in first, because a clever campaign that breaks the rules is worse than no campaign at all.
How Flinque helps
For a category this audience-sensitive, the first job is finding creators whose following truly matches the target and is real, not padded. Get that wrong and you waste budget at best or reach the wrong audience at worst, which in betting is a serious problem.
Flinque is one option for that discovery and vetting step. Across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X, it lets you narrow to creators whose niche and audience fit, then it benchmarks engagement and flags fake followers so a following is real before you engage. One honest limit: Flinque is a discovery and vetting tool, not a gambling-compliance or age-gating system, so the regulatory side stays your responsibility. Its index runs to 10M+ verified creators across 25+ countries, free to start, with paid plans from $49 monthly. Find the fit, verify it, then handle compliance with care.
Finding the right sports creators? Vet the audience first.
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Try Flinque free →Common questions
How do FanDuel and DraftKings use influencer marketing?+
Both work with creators and media personalities, though they draw from different pools. FanDuel leans on its core world of sports and gaming creators and has run a long-term, performance-based model, reportedly in partnership with NeoReach. DraftKings has reached across broader media, including flagship deals like its tie-up with Barstool, plus brand-to-brand partnerships. Both also favour former athletes and personalities who bring a built-in, sports-literate fan base.
Why did sportsbooks start using influencers?+
Because the maths changed. Early US betting marketing leaned on affiliates and search, paying meaningful sums per acquisition, yet as the market matured and margins mattered more, operators looked for efficiency. Influencers offered authentic, ongoing reach that builds loyalty and lifetime value rather than one-off sign-ups. With giants like FanDuel and DraftKings competing fiercely for the same young, sports-obsessed audience, a trusted creator voice became a way to stand out and keep bettors engaged.
What is FanDuel's always-on influencer strategy?+
It is the opposite of a one-off campaign. Rather than short bursts, FanDuel has built long-term, performance-based partnerships where creators are rewarded for sustained promotion, so they keep producing fresh content over time. Reported results included strong return on influencer spend and tens of millions of impressions, though treat those figures as the brand's own. The logic is that ongoing relationships lower acquisition costs and raise lifetime value far more than a single push.
What does compliance look like for betting influencers?+
Strict and non-negotiable. Sports betting is legal in a growing number of US states but heavily regulated, restricted to adults 21 and over and subject to responsible-gambling requirements that vary by state. Promotional content typically must carry responsible-gambling messaging and clear disclosures, with real scrutiny over marketing that could reach under-age audiences. Any brand or creator in this space has to build legal and age-targeting safeguards in from the start.
How do betting brands find the right creators?+
By matching the audience precisely, then verifying it is real and appropriate. The ideal creator has a sports-literate, age-appropriate following that truly overlaps with the brand's target bettor, not just a big number. So operators look at niche, audience demographics and real engagement, screening for fake followers before committing. A discovery tool like Flinque can find creators by niche and audience and run a fake follower check, though the gambling-specific compliance and age-gating remain the brand's responsibility.
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