DraftKings' profit doubles expectations as people are betting - and losing - more


DraftKings' profit doubles expectations as people are betting - and losing - more

Sports-betting company's stock surges as revenue per better rose well above expectations - fueling only its second quarterly profit in at least five years

DraftKings' stock jumped after a big profit beat, as users bet a lot more than they did last year - and also lost more.

Shares of DraftKings Inc. powered higher in extended trading Wednesday, after the sport-betting and entertainment company booked a big profit beat - as its customers bet a lot more than expected, while also losing more bets.

The company said average monthly unique payers (MUPs) during the second quarter - or the number of users who had at least one "real-money, paid engagements" in a month - rose 6% from a year ago to 3.3 million, citing strength in user retention.

The average revenue per MUP jumped 29% to $151, and was well above the average analyst estimate compiled by FactSet of $122.23. Basically, the growth in what the average payer spent was nearly five times the growth rate in the number of users.

That growth was mostly due to an improvement in the sportsbook hold percentage - meaning the house won a lot more than it did last year.

DraftKings shares (DKNG) rallied 6.2% in the after-hours session, which puts it on track to open Thursday at a six-month high.

Net income for the quarter through June 30 surged 147.5% to $157.9 million, while earnings per share of 30 cents was double the FactSet analyst consensus of 15 cents.

Not only was that just the second profit per share the company has reported in five years, based on available FactSet data back to May 2020, but the bottom-line beat was by the widest margin seen over that time.

Overall revenue grew 36.9% to a record $1.51 billion, to beat the FactSet consensus of $1.42 billion. The company said "healthy" customer engagement, its "efficient" acquisition of new customers, a higher sportsbook hold percentage and "sportsbook-friendly" outcomes fueled the revenue growth.

For 2025, DraftKings now expects revenue to be closer to the high end of the previously provided guidance range of $6.2 billion to $6.4 billion, while the current FactSet consensus is right in the middle of that range.

The company will provide more color on the results in its postearnings call with analysts scheduled for Thursday morning.

The stock has rallied 21.9% in 2025 through Wednesday's close, while the S&P 500 index SPX has gained 7.9%.

-Tomi Kilgore

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

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