DraftKings Trademark Watch: Progressive Parlays
- DraftKings has filed another trademark application for a new sports betting feature
- The operator filed for “Progressive Parlays” on Oct. 31
- DraftKings CEO Jason Robins eluded to a new sportsbook feature that will be unveiled during the company’s investor day on Nov. 14
Another day, another DraftKings trademark application for a new sports betting feature.
DraftKing filed a trademark application for “Progressive Parlays” with the United State Patent Trademark Office on Tuesday, Oct. 31. The trademark application is intended for “betting and gambling services in the nature of interactive real time gambling, namely, sports betting, transmitted via a global computer network and via mobile phones.”
It’s the third round of trademark applications made since the company filed a fantasy sports trademark for “DraftKings Cashpicks” on May 11, 2023.
What is Progressive Parlays?
Like the other trademarks submitted in the last five months, not much is known about “Progressive Parlays” other than what’s included in the company’s trademark filing.
An eagle-eyed reader alerted Sports Betting Dime to the new trademark application. The application is for an “intent-to-use” trademark, which means DraftKings has yet to use the term in commerce, but intends to do so sometime in the next several years.
DraftKings could not be reached for comment for the new application.
Progressive Parlays? This might be what will be hyped in the investor day. Along with CashPicks and Pick 6. $DKNG @contessabrewer @DKSportsbook @RLinnehanXl #ProgressiveParlays pic.twitter.com/ohbAu3rhUv
— Mike Dzikowski (@MikeDzikowski) November 6, 2023
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins actually eluded to a new sportsbook feature that will be unveiled during the company’s investor day on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Perhaps this new trademark application will be the feature discussed next week.
Tuesday, Nov. 14, is also the day ESPN BET will launch.
Historically, “progressive parlays” are bets where customers can still be paid out money despite not correctly getting all legs of a parlay correct.
It’s the third round of applications since the operator filed for “DraftKings Cashpicks” on May 11, 2023, and “DraftKings Pick 6,” “DraftKings Pick6,” and “DraftKings Pick Six” on Friday, Oct. 6.
The previous applications were all for online fantasy sports mobile applications.
“Downloadable mobile applications for use in fantasy sports competitions, namely, mobile applications for managing and participating in fantasy sports competitions,” the company wrote in their applications.
DFS Filings Brought Attention
When DraftKings registered for “DraftKings Cash Picks” back in May, and it was brought into the light in September, it caught the attention of at least one daily fantasy sports competitor.
Jeremy Levine, founder and co-CEO of Underdog Fantasy, acknowledged the news of the “DraftKings Cash Picks” trademark application on his X social media account.
— Jeremy Levine (@JerLevine) September 18, 2023
Levine and Underdog Sports, as well as fellow DFS operator PrizePicks, have both recently been at odds with DraftKings and FanDuel. In August, Levine took to his social media feeds and implied that both FanDuel and DraftKings have used their influence to create difficulties for the DFS operators.
He also wrote an open letter to the “Underdog Community,” which can be found here.
“FanDuel and DraftKings are coordinating their lobbyists, market power, partners and years of political contributions to try to stop us and other fantasy companies. Why? We’re beating them in fantasy, and we’re not stopping there,” Levine wrote in a tweet.
Both Underdog Sports and PrizePicks have claimed their parlay-style, over-under type offerings fall under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) carveout for games of skill.
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