Sports bettors turned to video games after sporting events across the spectrum were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins told CNBC’s Jim Cramer Friday.
“Esports was really small for us until, you know, about 2 months ago,” Robins said in a “Mad Money” interview. “Really, it was the only thing for a little while that people were still playing.”
The NBA season was cut short in March as multiple players contracted Covid-19, the disease caused by a coronavirus, as the virus began to sweep across the country. Soon after the MLB, whose season typically kicks off in late March and early April, postponed Opening Day, and the NHL put its own season on hold as states limited public gatherings in efforts to get a handle on the novel virus.
“Esports has stuck,” Robins explained. “It’s been a huge growth area over the last couple months for us and [it’s] hard to say what it will look like once the traditional sports are back, but I think a lot of people are…