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Delta Air Lines will bring a DraftKings-branded sports prediction game to its flights, but ensures that the product does not constitute gambling under federal aviation rules.
Access is limited to passengers aged 21 and older. The airline structured the game, called SkyPicks, to exclude betting, deposit functionality, a buy-in, or financial risk of any kind. Instead, players compete for Delta gift cards.
The restriction on real-money gaming traces back to a 1962 law that bars gambling on commercial aircraft, a statute Sen. Richard Blumenthal cited last year when he urged Delta and DraftKings not to allow wagering on board.
SkyPicks operates through Delta Sync Wi-Fi and works on a laptop or personal mobile device rather than seatback screens.
To participate, customers sign in with a DraftKings account or create one, then select a league to unlock eight to 12 questions tied to a single game or a set of games.
The questions combine player head-to-head comparisons with straightforward winner picks. Players may revise their selections up until the matchup starts, so late injuries or lineup swaps don’t lock them out of competing. Ties are broken by predicted total points or runs scored.
Top performers earn rewards in individual contests as well as monthly leaderboards, and new contests launch twice a week.
Delta said passengers can always enter the upcoming contest, even when their preferred team isn’t playing on the day of travel. SkyPicks starts with Major League Baseball matchups, with National Football League contests set to follow once that season opens.
Delta first disclosed plans for the DraftKings collaboration at CES in January 2025, before any product details were finalized. Blumenthal’s letter followed shortly after, warning of the public-health implications of mobile sports betting and pressing both companies to keep gambling off aircraft.
The version that launched this week appears to reflect that boundary: it carries DraftKings branding and sportsbook-style mechanics but withholds the wagering component entirely.
Delta said sports programming already ranks among the top-performing categories on its in-flight entertainment platform, which helped drive the decision to add an interactive product in that category. The airline operates as many as 5,500 flights daily to more than 300 destinations across six continents and carried over 200 million passengers last year.
“At DraftKings, we believe interaction with sports shouldn’t begin and end with the game itself – it should extend to every moment fans care about. As we continue elevating the DraftKings Sports experience, we’re also exploring new ways to bring fans closer to the action beyond the traditional settings,” said Jeremy Elbaum, Chief Commercial Officer at DraftKings.
“Collaborating with Delta gives us the opportunity to reimagine what sports engagement can look like while traveling, bringing innovative ways for fans to stay connected to the games they love,” Elbaum added.
The launch coincides with DraftKings’ effort to combine its casino games, sportsbook, lottery, and prediction-market products into a single “Super App,” an initiative that also includes the recent debut of its in-house prediction markets exchange, DKeX.
The Delta partnership gives the company a new point of contact with sports fans beyond its traditional betting and casino platforms.