FanDuel CEO Amy Howe explains how Rob Gronkowski 'Kick of Destiny' came to be, favorite Super Bowl prop bet
Howe also talked to Fox News Digital about the expectations for the platform during the game
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rob Gronkowski will be on the sidelines watching the Super Bowl instead of playing in one on Sunday, but he will still be a focal point of the game – at least when the matchup cuts to a commercial.
Gronkowski teamed up with FanDuel and legendary NFL kicker Adam Vinatieri in a live television commercial. Any FanDuel bettor who wages $5 or more will win a share of $10 million if the former star tight end makes the field goal.
"This year, as we were stepping into the Super Bowl, we wanted to do something on a much bigger scale, and our marketing team with support from Wieden+Kennedy said, ‘Listen, we want to have a moment that’s memorable. We want to be part of the Super Bowl, we don’t want to be part of another Super Bowl ad.’ And so, they came up with this idea to have Rob Gronkowski kick a field goal. He’s going to be kicking in the third quarter live – 25-yard field goal," FanDuel CEO Amy Howe explained to Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
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Rob Gronkowski, #87 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reacts after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 7, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
"It’s exciting. Rob has been an absolutely phenomenal partner, so he’s really kind of taken customers on the journey with him. The agent calling to training with Adam Vinatieri. As he said on ‘Jimmy Fallon’ the other day, he’s gonna make this field goal for America. It’s been a lot of fun, and the pickup is just phenomenal."
Gronkowski retired from the NFL following the 2021 season, and despite multiple teams trying to lure him back to the gridiron, he stayed away from the game and took up plenty of other opportunities.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Howe said it looked like Gronkowski was having "too much fun" to go back and play again.
"I think he’s having too much fun right now," Howe said. "I mean, look at what he’s (spending his time doing) – broadcasting and this. And he’s just a great guy, and I will say he’s one of the most down-to-Earth individuals you’ll ever meet. He and I are both Buffalonians, so he and I connect on that level."
FanDuel is one of the top online sportsbooks in the U.S., and many NFL fans will be using the service to place wagers on the Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri celebrates his game-winning field goal in the second half of Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, Louisiana. (STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)
The American Gaming Association (AGA) projected that at least $16 billion will be waged on the game.
"It’s going to be huge for us," Howe told Fox News Digital. "We’re projecting that we’ll have around 17 million bets on the platform. That’s more than double that what we would’ve seen last year. You have three new states that weren’t online at last year’s Super Bowl – Maryland, Ohio and Kansas.
"As the market continues to open up, it’s been an opportunity for consumers to bet legally. If you look at the same AGA research, 70% of consumers who are going to want to bet on the Super Bowl want to bet on a legalized platform. The demand is absolutely there. That’s what we’re seeing through our platform, and it’s going to be an exciting game."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There will be dozens of prop bets to wager on during the game.
Howe said one of her favorites included the possibility of both Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce both scoring a touchdown. The former is much more likely to do so, but unconventional players have scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl, from a William Perry rushing touchdown in Super Bowl XX to Nick Foles’ receiving touchdown in Super Bowl LII.
"The Kelce brothers – it’s the first time that brothers are going to be playing each other at the Super Bowl. So, there’s a prop bet that both Kelce brothers will actually score a touchdown. As a twin sister, I thought that was actually kind of fun," Howe said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Amy Howe, chief executive officer of FanDuel Inc., speaks during the Bloomberg Power Players Summit in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. (Lauren Justice/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Then there’s the other one that’s actually caught fire. Guessing the correct score has been one of the most popular prop bets, and I think right now there’s over 30,000 bets on the Eagles prevailing 37-34 over the Chiefs, so that’s another kind of fun one."
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Super Bowl LVII will take place Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game will be broadcast on FOX.