If you’ve never heard of DraftKings, we recommend that you take a look at our overview of the PHList, as it can be quite helpful in getting a complete picture of this exciting new betting platform.
DraftKings is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) platform that was launched in North America in July 2016 and has since expanded to 14 other markets. The Irish betting company Paddy Power is behind the initiative, and they’re taking the industry by storm.
“We at Paddy Power are very excited about the future of fantasy sports,” Gerald Keaney, senior manager of business development, said in a statement in April. “To have someone like Diarmuid O’Connell bring his innovative approach and success to the world of fantasy sports was exactly what the industry needs.”
The numbers tell the story. As of March 2017, more than 17 million people in North America and Europe were playing fantasy sports through a mobile app, according to the company. That’s roughly 47% of the total fantasy sports audience.
If you’re looking for an explanation as to how DFS works, keep reading. But first, let’s take a quick look at the history of fantasy sports.
The Evolution Of Fantasy Sports
Fantasy sports have been around since the 1930s, but they really took off in the 1980s when Sports Illustrated launched its fantasy football magazine and later expanded it to other sports. Since then, fantasy sports have become a way of life for many American sports fans.
The concept behind fantasy sports is that you get to draft a team of real athletes that you believe will perform well in the upcoming season. Then you compete against other fantasy football, basketball, and baseball players in a variety of weekly football, basketball, and baseball contests that are based on real-life performance.
Your performance in these games determines your “fantasy football score” and how successful you were in drafting and training your athletes. These scores then determine how you rank among other fantasy football players when the season ends.
This is how DFS functions, but it’s a bit more complex than that. Because the games are simulated, people can play them at any time, which means you can’t necessarily draft what you need when you need it. For example, if you want to draft a basketball team in October and then immediately add a pitcher in April, your team might not have the strength to compete when the season starts.
This is why DFS is often described as a daily or weekly game. You have to draft a team for each weekend or each week, respectively. If you want to play on Monday night, you have to draft a team for the following Monday night’s contest.
Many fantasy sports games also incorporate a pay-per-popularity fee. This is typically a budget fee, and it’s used to pay a fantasy sports rating service to determine the popularity of players based on real-life statistics. For example, if you want to play golf, you might have to pay $5 to enter a weekly tournament that costs $20 to play.
A Fantasy Sports Platform
After experimenting with a fantasy sports website in the mid-’90s, Sportsline launched its fantasy sports app in 2003. Then in 2016, DraftKings entered the fray with a similar offering.
These are daily fantasy sports platforms, which means you can play whenever and however often you want. You are not locked into playing one or two games per day like you are on a weekly or monthly basis with a traditional fantasy sports league.
This helps make the games more convenient for people who are active. You can login to your account whenever you like and click to place your wagers. You don’t have to set up an account and wait until the next day to play. You can also get notifications whenever there’s an update to the scores from previous games.
The Growth Of DFS
To follow suit, other sports betting companies have launched their very own DFS platforms. In February 2017, the Los Angeles Rams became the first professional sports team to allow fans to wage money on games, with the backing of their parent company, the St. Louis-based William Hill. Three months later, on July 19, the New England Patriots followed suit and launched their DFS platform, as well.
The growth in popularity of DFS can be attributed to a variety of factors. First, there is the convenience of being able to play at any time. It’s no secret that people love to bet on sports, and with the rise of the mobile phone, online sportsbooks, and social media, people have more opportunities to wager on games than ever before.
The games are also relatively easy to understand. They’re just like traditional fantasy sports, but instead of selecting real-life athletes, you choose players from legitimate professional sports teams. This makes it simpler for new fans to get into the game.
And last but not least, the money you make from playing fantasy sports is completely legal and available in the same ways as any other kind of wagering. You can use it to pay for your monthly bills, put a down payment on your next house, or even upgrade your car.
How Can I Play On DraftKings?
If you want to play on DraftKings, you’ll need to make sure you have a good connection and can download the app. Once you do, you’ll see the login screen as shown below. Log in with your email and password, or use the social media logins from your favorite teams or athletes (if they have accounts on the site).
Once you’re logged in, you’ll be taken to the dashboard, as shown below.
From here, you can access the Games section, which contains the contests you can enter as well as the teams and players you’ve previously drafted. Depending on how much money you want to wager and which games you want to play, you may have to look at the rules and regulations of the site before you start laying down bets.
What Are The Best Sports To Bet On?
With so much legal and safe betting options available, it’s no wonder that people are looking to get into sports gaming. The most popular sports to bet on are the following:
- American Football
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Golf
- Hockey
- Martial Arts
- Motorsport
- NHL Hockey
- Nascar
- Poker
- Racing
- Rugby
- Snooker
- Tennis
- UFC
You can also find a list of state and federal organizations that regulate online gambling, including the USA’s Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 and the UK’s Gambling Act of 2005.
Will My Wagers Be Accepted?
If you’re planning on placing wagers on any of the sports above, make sure you check with the appropriate governing bodies in your area. Some jurisdictions may not allow you to do this, particularly if you’re not of legal age to gamble. It is also a good idea to verify that the site you plan on using is licensed and regulated by the government.
In the UK, for example, GambleAware, an independent body that monitors and regulates online gambling, lists DraftKings as one of the top five largest sports betting websites. According to GambleAware, there are several reasons why British people and tourists choose to use DraftKings. Some of the reasons include the following:
- Simple to use
- Safe
- Scalable
- Accepts UK players
- Good support
- Regular promos
How Do I Place ABet On A Game?
If you want to place a wager on a specific game, you’ll need to find the appropriate section on the site. For example, if you want to bet on the Super Bowl this year, you’d go to the NFL section as follows:
1. You’ll need to find the right matchup. On the left side of the page, you’ll see a drop-down menu of upcoming games. Select the game you want to play, then click on the “Bet on this game” button.