DraftKings has seen its charitable contributions total surpass the $1m mark following the announcement that it successfully raised over $100,000 in support of breast cancer awareness research and survivors.
The news comes after DraftKings, in partnership with Larry Fitzgerarld’s First Down Fund, launched the first-ever ‘Pink ‘Em’ charity daily fantasy sports contests throughout all four NFL weekends in October which drew in 624,000 player entries and garnered a donation total of $119,000.
Larry Fitzgerald, NFL wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals and founder of the First Down Fund, added:“We were thrilled when DraftKings approached the First Down Fund to be part of its Pink ‘Em campaign, and grateful for all the fans who entered the DFS charity contests to make this possible. We will put the funds raised to good use in the efforts to prevent breast cancer and support people affected by breast cancer.”
As well as Pink ‘Em, DraftKings’ has emphasised that it is seeking to further utilise its platform to increase its charitable efforts, including the support of veterans’ education.
So far these efforts have seen DraftKings commit over a million dollars toward aiding veterans and military spouses, and has also seen the organization host workforce readiness training across the country to teach high-demand tech skills through the establishment of its Tech for Heroes program.
Tech for Heroes, which has so far trained over 150 veterans, operates within Austin, Boston, Columbus and San Francisco, however, new cities which include Hoboken and Las Vegas look set to be added to the track before the turn of the year.
Matt Kalish, chief revenue officer and co-founder of DraftKings, stated: “With over half a million entries into our Pink ’Em contests this month, it is evident our players not only understand the importance of giving back through social responsibility efforts, but also crave the ability to do so on our platform.
DraftKings now looks set to unveil a new series of corporate social responsibility initiatives within the next few weeks which will help to further enhance the company’s charitable footprint.
Kalish concluded: “We will continue to seek opportunities where our products can make a true impact in our communities.”
