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THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME with characteristic bombast at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Delta Air Lines, America's most valuable carrier, would partner with DraftKings to expand its in-flight gaming portfolio. The news might have seemed merely another corporate partnership, but it hints at a more ambitious future: one where passengers might place bets from 30,000 feet.
Ed Bastian, Delta's chief executive, frames the partnership in terms of customer expectations. "Gaming has become a regular part of the daily lives of millions of our customers," he notes. "And you shouldn't have to hit pause just because you're in the sky." The timing appears less than coincidental. Just days later, Connecticut lawmaker Christopher Rosario introduced House Bill 6051, legislation aimed at legalizing in-flight sports betting for flights originating or terminating in the state.
The notion of gambling at altitude is not entirely novel. In 1981, Singapore Airlines briefly flirted with installing slot machines in the upper decks of its Boeing 747s. The experiment ended when queues around the machines were deemed a safety risk. Delta's approach seems more pragmatic. Rather than installing dedicated gaming equipment, the airline plans to leverage the seatback screens already present across its Mainline Aircraft fleet.
Yet significant hurdles remain. Federal legislation, particularly the Gambling Devices Act of 1961 and the Gorton Amendment of 1994, presents formidable obstacles to any traditional gambling implementation. Delta, however, may have identified an ingenious workaround. The airline has hinted at the possibility of accepting wagers in SkyMiles, its loyalty currency, rather than cash. Such an approach would serve dual purposes: offering entertainment while simultaneously reducing points in circulation by adding vig (house edge)—effectively creating a new form of points redemption although you can be sure that’s not how it will be marketed.
The technical infrastructure for such an endeavor largely exists. Delta's Mainline Aircraft, which handle domestic and international routes, already feature sophisticated entertainment systems and Wi-Fi connectivity. The challenge lies not in the technology but in the regulatory framework that would govern its use.
For advantage players—those who seek edges in betting markets—the prospect of in-flight wagering presents intriguing possibilities. With more variety of offering sportsbooks reel in more customers but they also widen the area of attack for advantage bettors. We at The Advantage have no doubt there are many crafty sharps out there who'll be keeping a keen eye on this story in the hopes of finding a cute edge.
The partnership's immediate impact will likely be more modest. Passengers may soon find DraftKings-branded games among their entertainment options, but wagering real money—or even SkyMiles—remains a more distant prospect. The regulatory environment, particularly at the federal level, requires significant evolution before such activities could take place.
Still, the direction of travel seems clear. As Americans become increasingly comfortable with legal sports betting, and as airlines seek new sources of ancillary revenue, the convergence of these trends appears natural, if not inevitable. Delta's partnership with DraftKings may represent merely an early step, but it signals a future where the boundary between ground and air-based entertainment continues to blur.
© 2025 The Advantage
Written by
Co-founder of Pinnacle Odds Dropper and creator of The Steam Report which is a weekly advantage betting newsletter
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