FanDuel Review: Is it Worth Playing?

Table of Contents

FanDuel Review

Although I am a UK based account covering Football Index, I also have experience with other platforms such as Footstock, SportStack, FanTeam & a few others.

I like to try out new platforms, although I admit my main allegiance is always the index, it’s just the best platform for me. 

That, plus I’m not the best at fantasy football! (I do enjoy it though).

I’ve got a small following in the USA, which is quite cool. There’s a new product there called FanDuel, which I’ve been asked to try out. Note, this isn’t readily available in the UK at the moment. This post is written from a USA player.

About FanDuel

Have you ever had a gut feeling regarding a sports match? You probably have. Perhaps you felt that a player would score a touchdown or a team would win.

Now, have you wanted to put your knowledge of football to the test?

You can do all that and more with FanDuel’s Daily Fantasy Sports and Sportsbook. Legal betting on sporting results is now allowed in several states, and there is no reason you should miss out.

FanDuel is one of the premier sports betting sites out there. This review will guide you through its features, benefits, commonly asked questions, and minor cons.

Let’s get started!

Ready to Start Playing?

FanDuel don’t have any special sign up offers at the moment, but if that changes, we will update this. The below link is non-affiliated.

Go to FanDuel

Quick Summary of FanDuel:

FanDuel Sportsbook
● Extensive List of Available Sports
● Wide Range of Betting Options
● Amazing User Interface
● Great Mobile Experience

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Sports
● User-friendly deposit and withdrawal options
● Several contests, tournaments, and promotions
● Free Spins and Risk-Free Bets
● Welcome bonus of up to $1000

What is Fantasy Sports?

Before we go into an in-depth review of FanDuel, let’s take a look at fantasy sports. You may have already heard about them and are wondering about what they are.

Fantasy sports is essentially a great way to have fun and make money at the same time. In fantasy sports, players create teams that consist of real-life players from different sports. The most popular fantasy sports in the USA are football and baseball.

The players in your team may be from different leagues like the NBA, NFL, MBA or NHL, and even minor leagues or college teams. Once you have created the team, you can then play against other teams for a certain period of your choice – anything from a day or a season.

Fantasy sports mirrors real life with the help of a scoring system based on the players’ performance. For example, a touchdown is worth six points in both an NFL league and a fantasy team.

Players also receive points based on their yardage gained, which could be one point for ten yards they get upon receiving or rushing. Negative fantasy points may be awarded for things such as sacks and interceptions.

To make money in fantasy sports, you need to try and predict the future. It’s not easy, but it’s possible… and highly entertaining.

Based on the statistical performance of your players, you receive points and these points are tallied and used to compete with others using your operator. It is a skill-based game and very fun!

Introducing FanDuel – The Amazing World of Fantasy Sports

If you are new to the world of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), then you should know that FanDuel is the second-largest (and in my opinion, the best) DFS website.

You can create your DFS lineups on FanDuel with your favorite athletes and when your team makes enough points, you get paid real cash.

FanDuel lets you play many sports in several ways – for cash, for free, and even against your friends in a private match.

The site has several innovative contests that push the boundaries of traditional sports betting. Its best features are its excellent sportsbook user interface, a massive array of bets, and several games that are free but offer cash prizes.

Can You Make Money On FanDuel?

Yes, you can make money on FanDuel. Using a proper strategy is the key to success, and players with more experience can even use basic data-science to ensure their wins.

Several new players sign up on FanDuel every day, and thus you have an amazing chance of beating them and profiting on the site. In fact, FanDuel pays out nearly a billion in prizes every year.

We will discuss the strategies for winning in FanDuel in another section.

How Much Does It Cost To Play FanDuel?

On FanDuel, users can play with as small a commitment as one dollar. There are also no subscription fees, and thus the service is growing very quickly.

Does FanDuel Have Free Games?

FanDuel has several free contests that allow you to play games at no cost. You get an opportunity to win bonus money and prizes at these contests.

The sheer number and variety of these contests are impressive. Offers have included games like the $50,000 Kickoff free play where players could win a share of that in prizes.

Some of the available Free games included Home Run Challenge, Fantasy Horse Racing, and Mountain Dew NBA free play. There are also several free NFL games where you can play all season long – with NO deposit.

What is a Risk-Free Bet on FanDuel?

FanDuel offers new customers a risk-free bet up to $500.

To claim this, you as a new user simply need to create a new account in under 2 minutes. You then download the app for iPhone or Android and make a deposit for the first bet.

If you don’t win the bet, FanDuel will refund your bet amount for up to $500 (using site credit)

Earring Free Money on FanDuel: Referral System

FanDuel has a referral system. With it both you and a friend can earn $10. As a condition for eligibility, your referred friend needs to verify the account in thirty days and pay at least $10 in paid contests.

Valid referral methods include –

• Sharing referral link via email
• Sharing referral on social networking sites
• Inviting your friend for a challenge
• Creating a league

Benefits of FanDuel

We will talk about some of the benefits of FanDuel below, and trust us; they are several.

Amazing Software

We found FanDuel’s software to be functional and straightforward. Although it does not look too flashy, the ease of use and speed more than make up for the lack of cosmetic glamour.

As a player, you can use FanDuel in two ways to win at your favorite fantasy games:

• Using Your Browser: The browser-based client of FanDuel is best for those players who are seeking a full experience. You can visit their site on either Mac or Android.
• iOS Mobile App: FanDuel’s iOS app works on all Apple mobile devices using version 7.0 and above. The app has received tons of positive feedback from users and has a slick look and a quick setup.
• Android App: FanDuel has released an Android app with all the necessary functionality to play hard and win big. You can also access their mobile website as it is optimized for phones and tablets.

Great User Interface

Some sites focus on things like animation and outstanding graphics but are low on functionality. FanDuel, however, focuses on clean and efficient usability.

They try to keep things simple. FanDuel provides players with just enough control over their searches to navigate the site easily and not get overwhelmed with an overabundance of options.

On the top left of the screen, players have access to a tab that lets them find a lobby according to the sport choices available. At the top and the left, there are tables that sort everything using the type of contest.

Sliders allow players to decide how much of an entry fee they want to spend.

All the columns in a lobby have options that allow you to sort contests using different filters such as prize pools, entry fees, size, and starting time. To get an edge, you can identify seasoned players by their badges that are shown in the lobby for all contests such as head to head matches.

One useful tab for new players is the “Discover” option that shows you different contests in several categories. You can also use it to quickly check out details like which contests have the most massive prizes and what leagues and sports are getting the bulk of traffic.

Fantasy Insider

Both new and seasoned players can check FanDuel’s “Fantasy Insider” section, a blog for helpful information.

Several Game Formats

Another reason we love FanDuel is its wide variety of games. The games include:

• Tournaments: FanDuel has several tournaments, and its leagues have several thousand entrants. As FanDuel pays out at around 10% of tournament entries, players will need high scores to win. Those who do win usually get three times their money, and the top prizes offer serious cash.
• Guaranteed Prize Pool: Some of the tournaments are called GPPs or guaranteed Prize pools. In a GPP, FanDuel guarantees a prize in case the league is not filled. GPPs are the mainstay of the contest offerings provided by FanDuel.

You can use them to parlay your buy-in into high scores (up to seven-figures). Tournaments not filling is a rare occurrence, but sometimes they do have some seats left empty. Such a situation is actually great for you as a user as FanDuel can lose money in these cases.

What happens in this situation is an overlay – FanDuel pays out more money than was put into the league using fees for entry.

• Head-to-Head – In this game format, you take on another player in a direct head-to-head match. The H2H Matrix is a variant of this format where you are pitted against twenty-one users in separate head-to-head games at the same time.

We love the large number of H2H games provided by FanDuel. Your profit ratio in such games is around $1.80 for every $1.00 spent. If you’re really good at head-to-head games, you can win big by scaling your profitability as running out of games to play is impossible.

• 50-50s: 50-50s is simple, in a fifty-fifty match, half of the entire field will double what buy-in they put in, while the rest will lose their buy-in. Such games are low risk and allow you to become familiar with the game.
• Multiplier: In a multiplier game, those players who are in a winning position stand to double or triple their entry fees. A few contests raise this limit even more.

Features of FanDuel

FanDuel has several features that appeal to us. Some of them are –

• Multi-entry contests – FanDuel’s multi-entry mode allows one user to enter a tournament several times. Doing so allows you to diversify your chances of winning by creating several lineups with different combos of players in a league.

Creating Multiple line ups can cost more, but will help hedge the risks that you need to take while playing the tournament. For instance, entering ten teams into a multi-entry Guaranteed Prize Pool means that you will probably win with at least one.

You can enter these contests using the “Advanced entry” feature to edit your many lineups easily. Play with ease of mind knowing that FanDuel does not allow third-party software or bots.

 

• Single-Game contests – Don’t feel like researching an entire slate of games? FanDuel now lets you research only one.

Contests are now offered for single-events such as the Super Bowl. You can avail of such contests for sports like basketball, baseball, football, or hockey.

• Contests for beginners – FanDuel’s beginner’s contests are great for those who have not played a lot in daily fantasy sports. Such beginner contests allow you to play only against other new players and thus have a chance of winning. FanDuel defines a new player as one who has played fewer than fifty contests.

Beginner contests are of three types –  Double ups, tournaments, and 50-50s. FanDuel also allows beginners to enter contests at the intermediate level that are closed off for expert-level players.

• Indicators That Mark Experienced Players – Do you sometimes feel intimidated by those people who win a lot in DFS? FanDuel will tag these players with special icons that mark them as veterans so that you can avoid them.
• Entry Limited Contests – Unlike Multi-Entry contests, FanDuel limits the number of entries a user can put up in a regular contest. This act ensures that you will not have to play against regulars who have several hundred lineups.

Such contests can be found by using the filter options in the lobby.

Late-Swap Features

FanDuel now allows players to replace and change players that come in later games for some of its contests in a new move.

A Large Number Of Sports

FanDuel’s games cover a wide variety of sports that includes;

• NBA
• NFL
• WNBA
• NHL
• Soccer (English Premier League)
• Golf
• Major League Baseball
• NCAA

Strategy For Winning in FanDuel

We will discuss a few strategies to help you win in FanDuel Daily Fantasy Sports.

Strategy for Tournaments:

In Tournaments, the general strategy is different than when playing head-to-head or 50-50 matches. Instead of playing it safe, you should really look to increase variance.

That means choosing starting players and combinations of players who are more likely than others to have really big games.

Choose your strategy well and you should make profits, for instance pairing a quarterback with their wide receiver is a good tactic in daily fantasy football tournaments as if one does well in a game, the other probably will too.

However, the same strategy can backfire in head-to-head leagues as such a tactic increases risk. If a player has an unfavorable game, it is likely that so will their partner.

Strategy for Winning in Head-to-Head Matches

To win in FanDuel’s H2H matches, you should first check out your potential opponent’s total wins. After seeing the number of games they have won in an all-time period, just choose those players below your skill level.

Some of the other information you can check out include recent wins, and avg. amount of buy-in.

One reason FanDuel offers potentially profitable head-to-head action is that you can see a user’s win total—how many games they’ve won all-time—and hand-pick players who aren’t above your skill level. Simply click on a username to see their history. You can also learn more about recent player wins, average buy-in amounts, and other info by searching for users using some specialized sites.

How to Win in 50-50 Matches?

FanDuel has an abundance of 50-50 matches where the number of players can range from a few to several hundred.

In these leagues, all top-half of entries will get paid and can double their bets. Such 50-50 leagues are great if you usually find yourself with decent but not amazing scores.

The strategy is thus the same for head-to-head, matrix games, and 50-50 leagues. All you need to do is play it safe and get decent scores.

For instance, find a strategy that lets you score enough to beat 50% of the players and you’ll be in the money. You may want to include high-floor players who have secure combinations of lineups and guarantee your production rates.

The FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel does not only offer daily fantasy football. It also has an amazing sportsbook experience.

What is FanDuel Sportsbook?

A sportsbook in the USA is an online or offline institution where gamblers can legally bet on several sports such as baseball, basketball, horse racing, boxing, MMA, and others.

Although relatively young, FanDuel’s sportsbook is not immature by any means. The Sportsbook platform runs and feels as though it has been around for several years and is fully-fledged and professional.

Most sportsbooks are often arranged in a haphazard fashion but not this one. FanDuel’s individual sports are organized properly and the variety of bets are laid out in an even better fashion.

FanDuel’s great deposit options, nice user-interface, and wide-ranging betting options have made it a market leader.

Is it the best legal sports betting app though? We think so and will examine why below.

Great User Interface

FanDuel is currently owned by Betfair which is a European Betting company with a lot of experience. This know-how is reflected in its truly magnificent and modern interface that just feels like it belongs in a modern phone and not the early 2000s.

Most other operators of sportsbooks have haphazardly created sites that just look like they were thrown together by someone for the sake of creating a site in the least possible time. FanDuel’s user interface, however, is on par with social media giants such as Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, or Twitter.

The UI is not perfect, however, but is very clean and modern. If you have the faintest idea about betting (and you can always play for free if you don’t), you will be able to intuitively navigate the app and site.

Like Tesla, FanDuel is a tech company and not just a gambling or betting enterprise. Its top-notch developers know how to create online programs that run smoothly and thus FanDuel is leaving all its competition behind in this arena.

Wide Range of Sports

You have a wide range of betting options at FanDuel. The site covers almost all major sports with a wide array of betting options for each sport.

FanDuel also simplifies user-experience by not getting into too many little-known sports that some other sportsbooks provide.

The sports they cover include baseball, golf, hockey, soccer, tennis, auto racing, basketball, football, MMA, and boxing among others.

Such a list is great for players who want to bet on common American sports, but more obscure ones like European basketball are not on the list. We do not consider this too big of an issue however as international sports are not completely excluded.

You can bet internationally on sports like soccer in the EPL, MLS, UEFA, Mexican League, and several European leagues including those in France, Italy, UK, Spain, Dutch, Germany, and Portugal. The choices are some of the most comprehensive for any sports betting site.

Diverse Betting Options

FanDuel has all the betting options that any great mobile betting company should provide.

Along with the traditional betting types you’d expect like totals, Moneyline, and spread, you’ll also find a plethora of options such as pre-populated parlays, live, quarter and odds boosts.

The simple and intuitive way to find, look at, and bet on the lines is FanDuel’s primary advantage. A few other sportsbooks do provide such levels of detail, but none present their lines as well as FanDuel.

Let’s take the example of NFL football. In the NFL betting scene, you have player futures, future game bets, season props, playoff bets, and also bets on player’s points in Fantasy sports.

Your bets include and are not limited to:

●     Moneyline bets ●     Spread bets ●     Winning margins (4-way) ●     Total score bets ●     Bets on total points scored By Away team ●     Bets on total points scored by the Home team ●     Double result ●     Winning margins ●     Winning margin (5-point bands) bets ●     Bets on number of touchdowns in the second half ●     Line/ total points double 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ●     Tri-bet and Tri-bet 2 ●     Bets on the total in the 1st quarter ●     Line/total points double ●     1st half winner ●     First-half spread

●     Match/total points double 1 ●     Bets on who scores the first touchdown ●     Bets on who scores a touchdown at anytime ●     Spread betting (Includes draw) ●     Match/total points double 1, 2 ●     Alternate Spreads ●     Alternate total ●     Winning margins (10-point bands) ●     Team to have 1st field goal ●     Bets on who scores first and wins ●     Bets on who scores first and loses ●     Total points odd/even ●     Total field goals second half ●     1st turnover will be ●     Buy/Sell Points ●     Longest successful field goal ●     Individual player props ●     Bets on the first team to score ●     Race to 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 ●     1st quarter winner and spread

Although we don’t usually list out all the bets that a particular sport could have, we made an exception here for FanDuel due to its dizzying variety.

The above list was just for the NFL and does not even include the other games where there is an even greater number of bets available.

Have a gut feeling about a player or a game? Make a bet on that feeling and win big.

How Do You Sign Up For FanDuel?

Signing up on FanDuel is easy and does not take much time. You can start winning at daily fantasy sports once you finish the sign-up process and win real money.

To begin signing up, go to FanDuel.com. After this, click join now and the registration process should begin. Enter your basic information such as email address, desired password, and choose a username. This username is what others will know you by and is public – choose smart!

Enter any Promo or Referral code which can be added in the space below the “Play Now” button.

After the sign-up formalities are over, all you need to do is make your first deposit and you will be able to claim your deposit bonus. Such bonuses can range from $200 to $500 or more depending on promotions.

Remember that you do not need to deposit right away, you can leave it for a later time and try one of the free games to familiarize yourself with the software. Adding funds later on will automatically credit you with the same bonus offers as you would have received had you deposited on sign up.

After you sign up, you will be able to visit FanDuel’s lobby and can then look at the different games available such as 50-50, tournaments, and head-to-head. Simply adjust your buy-in slider to adjust how much you want to play for – free, medium, or high stakes.

Does FanDuel take credit cards?

Yes, FanDuel allows you to create deposits either via credit card or using PayPal. Most major card options such as Discover, Visa, and Mastercard are available. American Express users can deposit their buy-ins using PayPal as an intermediary

You don’t have to pay deposit fees but there may be a charge of 3% for international transfers. FanDuel will refund such transfer fees if you contact [email protected]. Customer support is always available for any issues you may be having with the deposits.

How Quickly Does Fanduel Payout?

FanDuel allows quick withdrawals via online banking which takes around two to four business days to process. Withdrawals done through cheques take longer at around seven to ten days.

How do I Verify My FanDuel Account?

You can verify your ID by uploading relevant documents to the FanDuel account on either web browsers or the app.

Upload the ID using an automated upload feature by clicking on the lobby and selecting “Add funds”.

Dedicated verification teams are available for Canadians and those who are having problems verifying their account information.

Can You use FanDuel Sportsbook Anywhere?

The FanDuel Sportsbook is not available in all US States. You can use the sportsbook in the States of Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Colorado.

Is FanDuel Fantasy Sports Legal?

Daily Fantasy Sports is not an illegal activity in the United States on a federal level. However, just like any other gambling-like activity, States reserve their right to create their own decisions on DFS.

Both DFS and FanDuel are legit. Although the site exists to create profits for itself and entices new users with amazing promotions and contests, it is not a scam.

You can win decent money and always have a good chance of winning. There are no bots that decide the end outcome for you, unlike several other decidedly scammy sites in Binary Options trading say.

Besides, DFS is fun and great for sports lovers who want to use their knowledge for making some exciting cash.

From what we have seen, FanDuel’s strategy is to allow players to profit, at least enough to keep them engaged with contests, while they continue to take a fair share of the pie.

If you are a citizen of the United States or Canada with a valid address and are above 18, you can play.

How Does FanDuel Make Money?

FanDuel does not make its money from betting against its users. It gets most of its money using “site rake”, which is the fee a participant pays for entering a contest.

The math is simple – when there is a contest, even one as small as a head to head game for a dollar, the winner gets $1.80 but both parties bet $1 each. FanDuel thus makes $0.20 from the contest.

FanDuel is thus not a scam, it is a service from which both we and they benefit.

Which States Do Not Allow FanDuel Fantasy Sports?

By company policy, FanDuel blocks players from the states of Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada,  Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, Arizona, and Washington.

Does FanDuel Require a Social Security Number?

All legitimate sports betting sites need you to enter either your full Social security number or at least the last four digits.

Why is this so important?

The answer lies in government rules and regulations. Casinos and sportsbooks are treated and overseen by the Government as though they were financial institutions. As such, they need to abide by laws such as the Patriot Act and the Bank Secrecy Act.

Moreover, these sites are liable to follow the same laws and regulations concerning money laundering as are banks in the USA. They thus need to record player names, addresses, SSN, and other details for both your and their own protection.

Is It Safe To Give FanDuel My SSN?

Yes, giving your SSN to FanDuel is safe.

Sports betting sites like FanDuel follow the standards of all financial institutions in the USA. Sportsbooks have third parties that conduct player verification and are thus even more secure. Giving either the full SSN or last few digits is the same thing as the verification is conducted against a database.

Taxes

Do You Have To Pay Taxes On FanDuel Winnings?

It is said that two things are sure in life, death, and taxes. If you win more than $600 annually in FanDuel, you might need to pay taxes on your earnings.

FanDuel will send users who win more than $600 a 1099 Tax Form in the mail that it needs to file with the IRS. FanDuel’s finance team will send out these tax forms and those who don’t receive them should get in touch with their support team.

Not certain how much you have won over time?

You can check your “history” tab in the lobby to download your entire history as a CSV spreadsheet. The Spreadsheet will include winnings and entry fees for all contests.

Subtract the entry fees from winnings to see how much you are liable for. Don’t forget to exclude entry fees for void or canceled contests.  The income should include non-cash prizes such as gift cards, travel vouchers, or other items that have value.

Can I write off FanDuel losses?

Your income from FanDuel’s games can either be reported as “other income” on Form 1040’s Schedule 1 or as business income on Schedule C.

The former will treat the income as a hobby and you cannot write off those losses. However, reporting income as a business income allows you to report losses that reduce your taxable income.

You need to prove that you engage in the activity regularly with the intention of earning a profit. A business is an activity that makes a profit for at least two out of five years.

Can you use FanDuel with a VPN?

FanDuel Does not allow you to visit the site while using a VPN and you need to disconnect such devices. Such a precaution is taken to protect both you and the organization.

From this extensive review, we can conclude that FanDuel is one of, if not the best sports betting sites available in the world. Sign up today to claim your promotions and win big.