Operators hail XFL opening weekend a success

Operators have reported significant interest in the XFL during its opening weekend, with DraftKings taking 20x the handle of last year’s AAF league’s launch.

DraftKings said it took 16x more bets during the XFL kick-off than it did for the AAF.

Speaking to EGR North America, DraftKings director of sportsbook John Avello said: “The XFL has come in with a good product and strong backing, with differing rules for a faster game of football.”

PointsBet spokesperson Patrick Eichner compared the weekend’s bets to “a good UFC card”.

Eichner added: “We did see less interest in AAF early last year although that interest quickly tapered after week one.”

FanDuel similarly reported that momentum grew as the weekend progressed, with handle increasing 55% and bet count up 31% on Sunday.

“Not counting open parlays, in New Jersey, we did 20 times the handle on our first XFL game versus our first AAF game last year,” a FanDuel spokesman said.

The revived football league, which was founded by WWE’s Vince McMahon, made FanDuel, DraftKings and Fox Bet its official betting partners ahead of the league’s revival this past weekend.

Fox Bet is also developing a Super 6 free-to-play game for the league.

XFL president Jeffrey Pollack told the Associated Press it was embracing betting as a core business strategy.

“Our mission and our infrastructure are geared to the sports betting future that is coming fast,” Pollack said

ESPN will display Caesars’ odds and game data during its broadcasts of XFL games.

The AAF was an independent American football league that played part of its first season last year before suspending its games and filing for bankruptcy.