Pros & Cons of DraftKings Casino
Before we dive into my detailed experience, I wanted to begin with a quick list of pros and cons for those who may want the quick facts rather than the intricate details. This list of pros and cons can be useful, but beyond this, you’ll see why each is listed as a pro or con and more information that will help you make your DraftKings decision.
Pros
- Generous and varied bonuses for new and existing players.
- 1x playthrough on Casino Credits.
- Vast selection of exclusive games and jackpots
- Unique prize opportunities from Dynasty Rewards.
- “Original” casino games, such as DraftKings Rocket and DraftKings Digits.
Cons
- Bonuses for existing players may not be plentiful at times.
- Some currencies, such as Casino Bonus Funds, hold playthrough requirements up to 15x.
- The platform can be overwhelming for newer players (there’s a lot under one roof, incl. casino, sports, DFS, etc.).
- Some bonuses hold high wagering requirements to initially claim them / land a spot on a leaderboard, for example.
Where I Found DraftKings Casino Available
I’ve conducted my review in New Jersey online casinos, where DraftKings Casino has operated since 2018. New Jersey is arguably one of the most robust iterations of the platform. As noted above, DraftKings Casino has since expanded with a Connecticut online casino, Michigan online casino, Pennsylvania online casino, and a West Virginia online casino as well.
For the most part, it has managed to keep a consistently impressive casino platform across the board, with most games and promotions available in all of the states. If anything, players in Connecticut and West Virginia may find slightly less robust game catalogs.
Navigating DraftKings Online Casino: My Impressions of the Platform
All in all, both the desktop website and the mobile app provide satisfying and easy-to-navigate experiences. DraftKings Casino is one of the few real money online casinos, at least in New Jersey, that has remained mostly unchanged as an experience, so the familiarity with the platform has continued to build for many players as they haven’t had to adjust to many changes.
Desktop Experience
Overall, the website loads fast, and navigation feels snappy. I like the relatively simplistic design and have found no issues throughout my testing with the desktop experience as a whole.
As you can see above, the desktop site features an all-in-one experience with the many other DraftKings platforms, including DFS, sportsbook, and, of course, casino. At first glance, this may make it seem overwhelming for new players with all of the choices. However, overlooking the top menu with all of the products, I’ve found the site to be split into straightforward pages and a layout that just makes sense.
Games are easy to find, with plenty of categories along the top, including the overarching Slots, Table Games, and Live Dealer categories. At some online casinos, such as BetRivers, I’ve found that the games have been split into too many granular categories. At times, those categories may overshadow the simple sorting by game type. At DraftKings Casino, this is not the case.
Once I clicked on a category, I found a succinct list of the top games within that category, followed by curated lists of games. In most cases, I found myself scrolling down to the “All” section, which showcased tiles for every game available in that category.
One omission here that I found myself missing was advanced filtering. Due to the large size of most slot catalogs, I usually like to have the option to filter them to make the selection process more approachable. To be fair, this isn’t the most common feature, so its omission isn’t too surprising, but being able to filter by the game provider, min./max. bets, and so on, would be very welcomed.
As you can see from the above screenshot, the Promotions page is clutter-free, making it easy to find bonuses that may be of interest to you. Generally speaking, you won’t need to use a promo code to take advantage of the bonuses, but you might need to opt in to get it, depending on the promotion.
I won’t cover this much in this review, as I’ve written a separate full guide to DraftKings Casino bonuses, but it’s worth noting how easy they are to find and opt into. Terms and conditions are also easy to display. I will also note that many promotions are gated behind login, so when you’re logged out, you’ll see far fewer options than when you’re logged in.
Lastly, I quickly wanted to highlight the deposit page, although we’ll cover this in more detail later in the guide. It follows the simple, straightforward design principles of the rest of the site, making it easy to find a method that works for you and to complete the process. The withdrawal page of the cashier section is equally as easy to use.
Mobile App Experience
The mobile app is much of the same, just shrunken down to whatever device you prefer. In my view, the DraftKings app is one of my favorite real money casino apps to use. It’s available on both the Apple App Store (4.6 stars) and the Google Play Store (4.2 stars), so you can essentially bring the experience with you on any device you so choose.
As you can see above, you’ll find all the same sections and options on mobile as you would on desktop, and it truly is an easy-to-navigate experience. In my gaming sessions during testing, I found that the games loaded quickly, and the switch between portrait and landscape mode was seamless. In fact, at no point did I find anything jarring about the mobile app experience, and had no geolocation or technical issues.
Exploring the Games: What I Found & What Stands Out
| DraftKings Casino | Caesars Palace Online Casino | Golden Nugget Casino | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slots | 2,000+ | 1,720+ | 1,300+ |
| Table Games | 110+ | 55+ | 90+ |
| Live Dealer | 60+ | 45+ | 40+ |
| Specialty Games (Originals, Bingo, etc.) | 10+ | N/A | 10+ |
| TOTAL: | 2,180+ | 1,820+ | 1,440+ |
Slot Games
DraftKings Casino has a truly massive slot catalog. In New Jersey, I found that there were over 2,000 options available at the last count. This catalog is made up of all of the most popular game providers you’d expect to see (IGT, NetEnt, Everi, Light & Wonder, and many more). What stands out, firstly, is that the exclusive DraftKings Jackpots are available on most of these slots. What also stands out is the sheer number of exclusive slots, including exciting titles like Twister, Discover Deadliest Catch, and plenty more.
As you can see from the above screenshot of the exclusive Sauce Boss BBQ slot, many of the exclusive slots have well-implemented, fun themes to be enjoyed. As for the gameplay itself, I found it to be buttery smooth and impressively modern, surpassing many slots that have begun to feel outdated.
Table & Live Dealer Games
DraftKings Casino also features a solid catalog of table games and live dealer games bolstered by plenty of variations on the classics, such as more than 50 varieties of blackjack plus roulette, craps, and baccarat. I found even more alluring exclusive options within the table games catalog, often featuring big names co-branded with DraftKings. These included options such as Andrew Dice Clay Craps, DraftKings Touchdown Roulette, and, perhaps the most New Jersey game of them all, Boardwalk Blackjack. I enjoyed these options especially, as they added a fun and unique twist to classic games that could serve to be spruced up a bit beyond their generous odds.
Many of the special table games feature relatively simple design upgrades, such as Boardwalk Blackjack pictured above. However, many of them also feature additional features that include side bets, multipliers, jackpots, and more. For example, Double Ball Roulette offers the opportunity to win a 1200-1 jackpot if both balls hit your chosen number. With the max bet of $100, this could result in a $12,000 jackpot on a roulette game, which is quite unprecedented.
There are plenty of options within the live dealer category as well for players who enjoy blending the online casino experience with a real-life land-based casino experience. There are blackjack and other popular table games on offer here for those who prefer a real dealer at a real table, but I personally think the game show live dealer games, such as Adventures Beyond Wonderland, provide the most unique and exciting experience.
Does DraftKings Casino Offer Games You Can’t Find Elsewhere?
In short, yes. As you can see from my experience in the above sections, DraftKings Casino’s specialty is its selection of exclusive games. Whether it be slots, table games, or specialty games, which we’ll discuss in more detail below, DraftKings offers plenty of variety and exclusive branding partnerships in every category.
Simply browsing the catalog, it didn’t take me long to find titles such as NHL Slapshot, Playboy Diamonds, DraftKings NBA Slam Dunk Roulette, and more. Beyond the exclusivity, these games have a lot to offer. For example, in NBA Slam Dunk Roulette, it’s as if you’re playing in a virtual suite at the arena, hearing announcements from a game that includes your favorite team that you’ve chosen.
In my extensive testing and experience, I have not seen any other online casino, New Jersey or elsewhere, that has more exclusively-branded games than DraftKings.
Specialty Games
Much of the exclusive game catalog is made up of specialty games, sometimes referred to as “Originals.” This category includes non-traditional games that wouldn’t usually be found at casinos.
One such example is DraftKings Rocket, pictured above. It truly doesn’t fall into any traditional category (slots, table games, etc.), as your task is to choose to keep flying higher for a bigger win or to exit the rocket before it explodes. When it explodes is random, so this game can result in truly spectacular wins. I have found that it creates a level of excitement that few other games do for me. DraftKings Rocket can be compared to Crash-style games often found at social and sweepstakes casinos.
There are other games available in this category as well, such as Hop It & Profit, which I particularly enjoy. Think of it as Frogger, but the danger comes in pushing it too far. The further you hop, the more you can win unless you land on a whammy. I enjoy choosing my lilypads thoughtfully, although I know that it comes down to random number generation like any other casino game in reality.
