Delta Air Lines has launched a new in-flight entertainment feature called SkyPicks, a sports prediction game built in partnership with DraftKings. The catch: despite the DraftKings branding, there is no real-money betting, no deposits, and no financial risk involved anywhere in the experience.
The game went live on Wednesday for passengers 21 and older through Delta Sync Wi-Fi, giving travelers something new to do during flights beyond streaming movies or live TV. Instead of wagering cash, players compete for Delta gift cards by answering prediction-style questions tied to real sports matchups.
How SkyPicks Actually Works
SkyPicks is available on personal devices like phones, laptops, and tablets connected to Delta’s in-flight Wi-Fi — not on seatback screens. Passengers sign in with an existing DraftKings account or create a new one to unlock that day’s set of questions tied to a single game or a slate of games. Questions include things like which player will outperform another in a head-to-head matchup, which team will win, and tiebreaker-style final score predictions.
Top performers land on leaderboards for individual contests as well as a monthly leaderboard, with the best predictors earning Delta gift cards as prizes. The game launched with Major League Baseball contests, and Delta says NFL matchups will be added later this year as the football season ramps up.
A Partnership Years in the Making
Delta first announced its planned collaboration with DraftKings back in early 2025, and the rollout comes as airlines increasingly look to differentiate their in-flight entertainment offerings with interactive content rather than just passive viewing options. Framing SkyPicks purely as an entertainment product — free to play, with no buy-in — appears to be a deliberate choice given the legal landscape around gambling in the air.
Last year, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal urged both companies not to allow any form of gambling on board flights, pointing to a 1962 federal law that prohibits gambling on commercial aircraft. Delta’s approach with SkyPicks — stripping out betting, deposits, and financial stakes entirely — appears designed to sidestep that legal obstacle while still leveraging the DraftKings brand and its sports-prediction format that has proven popular among fans who enjoy following MLB odds and matchups throughout the season.
What Comes Next
For DraftKings, the deal offers a fresh way to put its name in front of millions of travelers without navigating the regulatory complexity of in-air wagering. For Delta, it’s another example of airlines competing on the passenger experience front, adding free interactive content to compete with services other carriers already offer through their own Wi-Fi platforms.
With NFL contests slated to join the MLB-based questions later this year, SkyPicks could become a recurring feature travelers look forward to on longer domestic flights — giving sports fans something to do at 30,000 feet that doesn’t require putting any money on the line.
