Detroit Picked For New DraftKings, Sports & Social Betting Bars

DETROIT — Detroit could be the market for an emerging world of digital sports betting and fine dining, with one of the industry's main cogs eyeing it as it plans to launch a series of restaurant and sports betting businesses.

DraftKings, a digital sports entertainment and gaming company, announced Thursday it is partnering with national entertainment concept Sports & Social to create upscale Sports & Social/DraftKings sports bars beginning in the Nashville and Detroit markets.

The Sports & Social/DraftKings venues will be designed by ICRAVE, an internationally acclaimed award-winning strategy, design and development firm, the companies said. The move is still pending regulatory approvals.

“Today, so much of sports betting is focused on the mobile-technology aspect, however the in-person experience is an integral layer that we look forward to advancing alongside Sports & Social’s premier dining and entertainment offerings,” said Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings. “By aligning with one of the fastest-growing entertainment concepts in the country, we now have the opportunity to bring our world-class products to life by offering engaging, interactive and fan-first destinations to skin-in-the-game customers.”

DraftKings currently operates in 14 states with online and retail sportsbooks.

Sports & Social describes itself as an upscale gaming parlor and social lounge that features the best in sports-watching and state-of-the-art audio/visual displays. One of the parlors was located at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena, but closed in 2020 during the pandemic, according to The Detroit News.

Locations of the Sports & Social/DraftKings venues will be announced in the coming months, the companies said.