Thursday, April 23, 2026

Betting on Alternative Sports

Drone Racing League

The next off-major sport has hit the betting market.

Bettors can now wager on the Drone Racing League, following its success as a free-to-play pool at the beginning of the pandemic. DraftKings offered the aerial sport during the league’s final races of its season over the weekend, and will have exclusive rights in the future.

According to DraftKings research, 70% of drone racing fans don’t follow the big five sports leagues, but are three times more likely to bet than fans of major sports leagues.

Nontraditional sports shouldn’t be underestimated.

Table tennis, for example, has been among Colorado’s top-five most-bet on sports for several months, jumping to No. 3 in November. But the bulk of bets are still driven by traditional sports.

Colorado saw $231.2 million in total November wagers.

  • NFL: $88 million
  • College Football: $22 million
  • Table Tennis: $12.4 million

Similarly, in New Jersey, $433.3 million of the record-setting $931.6 million bet on sports in November was on football.

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