Delta launches free inflight sports prediction game with DraftKings

Delta Air Lines has introduced SkyPicks, a new inflight entertainment feature developed in partnership with DraftKings, allowing passengers to make free sports predictions while connected to Delta Sync Wi-Fi. The feature was first announced roughly eighteen months earlier at a technology trade show and has now become available onboard.

According to Delta, SkyPicks is explicitly not a gambling product. The airline stated multiple times in its announcement that the offering involves no wagering, deposits, real money, miles, or other currency, describing it instead as an entertainment experience designed to let SkyMiles members engage with sports content during flights.

Ranjan Goswami, Delta's Chief Marketing and Product Officer, said the goal of the Delta Sync platform is to build an onboard experience connected to activities customers enjoy on the ground, noting that sports is one such interest. He said SkyPicks gives SkyMiles members a way to participate in sports-related games and discussions while flying.

Despite Delta's framing of the feature as free-to-play and separate from gambling, the service is built on DraftKings' technology, and passengers who wish to use it must create a DraftKings account and agree to receive related communications. This has led to observations that the feature may also serve as a customer acquisition channel for DraftKings, potentially introducing new users to its broader betting platform, even though SkyPicks itself does not involve wagering or financial risk.

No additional financial or contractual details of the partnership between Delta and DraftKings were disclosed in the announcement.