One of the top sports betting operators in the U.S. is getting into the peer-to-peer daily fantasy space.
FanDuel Picks is officially operating in Oregon, Wisconsin, Iowa, Arkansas, and Alabama, with other markets expected to launch in the future.
Key Takeaways
- FanDuel Picks has launched in five U.S. states, with more likely coming in the future
- The peer-to-peer game involves picking 3-6 player props and entering contests with a shared prize pool
- The market-share leader in sports betting joins a competitive industry, going against DraftKings, PrizePicks, and Underdog, among others
Players in those five states can download FanDuel’s new app, log in with a FanDuel account if they’ve already created one or start new, and compete for real money with the daily fantasy sports game.
“FanDuel Picks lets you join the excitement of peer-to-peer fantasy sports by building lineups of your favorite athletes and predicting whether they'll beat their projected stats during real-world games,” the operator said on its website.
The peer-to-peer contest is based on prop-like stat categories for individual players, like Jamal Murray, scoring more or less 31.5 points. Participants select 3-6 picks, choose their entry amount, and earn points for each correct prediction.
If the contestant scores the most points, they earn a share of the prize pool, and perfect lineups receive larger winnings.
Crowded arena
FanDuel isn’t the first operator to get involved in peer-to-peer games, which are more accepted legally by regulators than house-paid contests.
FanDuel’s biggest rival in the sports betting industry, DraftKings, has been operating a peer-to-peer platform, “Pick 6,” since December 2023. It’s essentially the same as FanDuel Picks.
There are two other heavy competitors in the DFS space.
PrizePicks launched its peer-to-peer game in early 2024 after it ran into legal issues in some states. Underdog has also shifted to prize-pool sharing contests in some states to meet regulation requirements or dodge legal ramifications.
Several other sites, like Betr, Splash, and Sleeper, have grown in popularity with their peer-to-peer contests.
Fantasy roots
Founded in 2009, FanDuel began as a daily fantasy site. It launched a sportsbook after PASPA was overturned in 2018 and has become the market-share leader for sports betting in the U.S.
Flutter-owned FanDuel operates sports betting in 22 states, including the lucrative New York market, and Washington, D.C. The company also has an online casino app available in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, and West Virginia.
