I’m a supporter and that’s the rules that we’ll test — is put your money where your mouth is” … Jerry Jones, Owner – Dallas Cowboys.
From a very early age until now, I’ve had more energy than most kids. I was able to funnel that energy into playing sports year-round (baseball, basketball, soccer, football, and anything we could make up with a ball in our back yard). As I got older, the sports continued, and I was introduced to fantasy sports. Draft day for my baseball league is one of the most fun days of the year. Then, the big one hit … Daily Fantasy Sports. When I got the chance to interview Fan Duel, I leaped at the opportunity to get to know a little bit about this amazing company. This is what I learned about Fan Duel from Emily Bass, Senior Communications Manager.
1. What is FanDuel and Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)?
EB: FanDuel Group is an innovative sports-tech entertainment company that is changing the way consumers engage with their favorite sports, teams, and leagues. The premier gaming destination in the United States, FanDuel Group consists of a portfolio of leading brands across gaming, sports betting, daily fantasy sports, advance-deposit wagering, and TV/media, including FanDuel, Betfair US, DRAFT, and TVG. FanDuel Group has a presence across 45 states and 8 million customers. The company is based in New York with offices in California, New Jersey, Florida, Oregon, and Scotland. FanDuel Group is a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment plc, a leading international sports betting and gaming operator and a constituent of the FTSE 100 index of the London Stock Exchange.
Daily fantasy sports contests are an innovative twist on traditional season-long contests.
People love fantasy sports, which have become our new national pastime. DFS is an evolution of traditional season-long fantasy — rather than select a team and compete against other participants over the course of a full season, participants select a team and compete with other participants over the course of a single day or weekend.
2. So, what you’ve done is turned a season-long fantasy football season into a 1-day (or week) contest, correct?
EB: Correct. Like season-long contests, with daily contests, participants select a team of real-world athletes and accumulate points based on how their players perform in an actual game. The goal—regardless of format—is to select a team of players that will score the most possible points. The only difference between daily and season-long formats is duration: A DFS contest condenses a NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA (and other sports) contest into a single day or weekend of games.
3. Is it legal?
EB: Fantasy sports are skill-based games. DFS contests are nothing more than a condensed version of the traditional season-long format. Rather than select a team and compete against other participants over the course of a full season, participants select a team and compete with other participants over the course of a single day or weekend. Those contests don’t just rely on the same skills as season-long contests— the skill is even more determinative.
Like the season long fantasy games that so many Americans participate in, daily fantasy sports are a game of skill which calls upon users to research and evaluate players, opponents, matchups and other variables just like you would in a season long fantasy season.
4. How much does it cost to play, and can I play more than 1 game at a time?
EB: There are range of different contest types and game styles to choose from in every sport, from free to enter contests to contest with entry fees as low as $1.
You can enter multiple contests across multiple sports at once.
5. What is the biggest payout in 1 NFL game each weekend?
EB: Our Sunday Million contest pays out ONE MILLION DOLLARS to the first place winner each week with a total of THREE MILLION DOLLARS in prizing.
6. Does Fan Duel have a “Championship” game that can be won? Something like an office fantasy football pool that culminates into a head to head Super Bowl game.
EB: We offer Friends Mode leagues where users can play in leagues with friends all season long on FanDuel. Each week, we make a daily fantasy contest for your league and your overall progress is recorded in the season standings. You can play once a week for sports like football, and on multiple days per week for sports like baseball and basketball.
7. When I play, will I be playing against Fan Duel employees or employees from other DFS sites?
EB: We have a clear Employee Play Policy in place that says employees of FanDuel and any other DFS website are restricted from playing on FanDuel.
8. I saw you have games where “no experienced players” are allowed to enter. What is an experienced player and how do you stop one from playing in these games?
EB: We have experienced player badges which are used to identify players with certain levels of experience so you know who you’re up against. These badges appear alongside the player’s username. Experienced players can’t enter contests specifically excluding such players, like beginner only contests. A player will be tagged with an experienced or highly experienced badge according to the following criteria:
Experienced Player (blue star in white circle) — Any user who has played in 500 or more contests OR has won a total of $2,500 or more over a span of six or more contests.
Highly Experienced Player (white star in blue circle) — Any user who has played in 1,000 or more contests OR has won $1,000 or more in a single contest four or more times.
9. What is the behind the scenes importance of owners like Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft investing in DFS?
EB: They see the value in DFS and how integral we are to live sports. “From my perspective, anything that follows the rules, that causes and creates more interest and more fan participation, I’m really for,” Jones said. “So, I’m a supporter and that’s the rules that we’ll test — is put your money where your mouth is.”
10. If you can give 1 bit of advice for all of the Fan Duel players, what would it be?
EB: Have fun!
If you’re interested in trying to win ONE MILLION DOLLARS on Fan Duel, CLICK HERE
