Daily Fantasy Sports has grown in popularity over recent years, and for good reason. It’s a condensed version of regular fantasy sports, which opens up some great opportunities for bettors all over the US. However, unfortunately DFS isn’t yet available all over the US.
In this review, we’ll cover where DFS Legal States are, and which states are a complete no go for all DFS betting. We’ll also give you a brief rundown of what makes DFS different from regular fantasy play, and why it is perfect for short term betting play.
What is Daily Fantasy Sports?
Daily Fantasy Sports, or DFS, is a short term variant of regular fantasy sports. To put it simply, regular fantasy sports seasons can go on for months, as most sports seasons tend to drag on for at least three months, if not more. However, DFS compresses your classic fantasy sports play into a month, a week or sometimes, even a weekend. This condensed format has shown to be hugely popular amongst many different players, with many sportsbooks, including eSports betting USA platforms, adopting this DFS format to their fantasy play.
So, what are the DFS legal states? Why is DFS legal in some states, but not in others? Well, there are many states where DFS is legal, but only a specific type of DFS. Let’s break down the different types of Daily Fantasy Sports first, and what makes them so different from a legal standpoint.
Traditional Fantasy vs Pick’em
There are two major types of Daily Fantasy Sports, and the legality between the two greatly differs. It’s important to note that some states don’t consider most types of fantasy sports betting, so the states where DFS is legal may surprise you. But, there is a key difference between these two types that will explain why that is.
- Traditional Daily Fantasy Sports is when you assemble a number of players within a specific team, under a financial cap given to you, and compete against other players in a number of contests within that sport
- Pick’em is when you are picking a number of player stats, and you are putting up money against the house, rather than against other players
As you can imagine, Pick’em is far more controversial than the more traditional DFS play, as you are playing against the house, rather than simply competing against other players in a wagering contest. As a result, there are fewer DFS legal states that allow Pick’em. But, there are some which allow both. So, what states allow daily fantasy sports, Pick’em and traditional?
Where is DFS Legal for both Traditional and Pick’em?
In total, there are currently 28 states that allow both styles of DFS play. However, as we mention in our Sleeper fantasy review, some states have some stricter laws on DFS play. Here’s a full list of the 22 states that allow both types without any regulations.
- California
- Alaska
- Texas
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Colorado
- Utah
- Oregon
- Nebraska
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
In all of these states, you can play both Pick’em and Traditional DFS without any restrictions. Check out our Draftkings review if you want to check out a platform that offers both.
There are six states that do allow both, but have restrictions on Pick’em play. Here are the states, and what restrictions are placed upon the Pick’em play.
- New York caps all Pick’em winnings at $5,000
- Virginia state attorney has made an official bill, wanting Pick’em Daily Fantasy Sports to be registered as gambling under state law
- Wyoming and Arizona are making moves to cease Pick’em play style games that pit players against the house for DFS platforms
- Arkansas and Kansas are starting to crack down on a number of DFS platforms offering Pick’em games, such as Underdog and Prize Picks.
While Pick’em play is still technically legal as of now in these six states, by the looks of things, many states are taking steps to illegalise this form of DFS play in their states.
Traditional Daily Fantasy Sports: Where is DFS Legal traditionally?
Now that we’ve covered the legal issues of Pick’em, there are still plenty more states that offer traditional Daily Fantasy Sports play for their players. These states do not consider Pick’em play to be fantasy sports. However, these states still have some great traditional DFS play available to the player. These are the states where DFS is legal:
- Iowa
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Florida
- Alabama
- Missouri
- Michigan
- Ohio
- West Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Connecticut
- Tennessee
Platforms like Underdog and Prize Picks do not have as much of a presence in any of the states above, as they’re generally known for their Pick’em games, rather than their traditional, player vs player games. If you’re looking for some of the best player vs player platforms, check out our Fanduel vs DraftKings review for two of the best at traditional DFS play.
DFS Legal States: Where Is It Completely Banned?
However, there are a handful of states that have completely banned all types of daily fantasy sports play. There are only five of these states that have these anti-fantasy sports laws in effect, and we’ve listed them below for your convenience.
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Idaho
- Montana
- Washington
It comes to us as no surprise that these are not DFS legal states and do not allow any kind of fantasy play at all. States like Hawaii and Washington have always been staunchly anti-gambling, and Washington still illegalises nearly all forms of gambling. The only state that comes as a surprise is Nevada, which is still known as the gambling capital of the US.
Why is DFS not legal in Nevada?
Well, in actuality, fantasy sports isn’t actually illegal in Nevada. Not if you go by the law, at least. Nevada State Law claims that Daily Fantasy Sports is legal in Nevada as long as the DFS platform gets a state license from Nevada.
Well, the issue seems to be that the Nevada Gaming Control Board are extremely selective about who they give their license to. Both DraftKings and Fanduel, two trusted and reliable sportsbooks across the country, are not allowed to bring DFS to Nevada, as it considers it to be a form of gambling.
Nevada has ordered a number of DFS sites to shut down in the state, as many have failed to obtain the DFS license to run. US Fantasy is the only platform that can run DFS in the state, but even at that, it’s an extremely limited, pari-mutuel form of daily fantasy sports that heavily limits the players.
Conclusion: Where is DFS Legal?
It turns out that there are plenty of DFS legal states available. There are some great options for fantasy play for players, whether it’s traditional or Pick’em play, across 28 different states. But, it’s important to know that many states consider Pick’em play to be gambling, as you are playing against the house.
Traditional DFS is available in the majority of states across the country, though, with over 40 states having great DFS options such as DraftKings and Fanduel for their players. We have reviews for all these great DFS platforms on our website. Why not have a look and see which platform suits you?
