NFL’s Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes popular with DraftKing bettors
- Thursday marked start of NFL opening weekend
- About 73 million Americans are expected to make bets this year
- DraftKings co-founder: Change in the offseason means much anticipation
(NewsNation) — About 73 million people say they’ll place a bet this NFL season, according to a survey by the American Gaming Association.
For many, the fun has just begun as Thursday night marked the league’s season opener, between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions.
Matt Kalish, co-founder and president of DraftKings North America, said everything gets shaken off in the offseason, so there’s plenty of anticipation.
“There’s all these changes to the teams and the new rookies and people really have no idea how everyone’s gonna come together and compete,” he said on NewsNation’s “Morning in America.” “So week one is always really exciting to get that first look at how competitive different teams are, what the chemistry is and all of that.”
This year, the number one MVP candidate DraftKings bettors are supporting is Jalen Hurts, the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Another quarterback, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, is also “way up there.”
Joe Burrow, quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, is a fan favorite as well.
“People love taking the over on the passing yards and all of that for some of our favorite quarterbacks,” Kalish said.
