FanDuel Sportsbook Review

FanDuel, one of the biggest names in daily fantasy sports, soft-launched its mobile sportsbook app in New Jersey on Sept. 1. By NJ sports betting regulation, access is initially limited to a small group of customers during a five-day soft launch. Just in time for the start of NFL, FanDuel Sportsbook went live statewide.

The launch, however, puts FanDuel Sportsbook into a growing online sports betting market featuring five players so far.

FanDuel Sportsbook deposit bonus

New players at FanDuel Sportsbook can get a first deposit match bonus of up to $100. Sign up today to get your first deposit bonus from FanDuel!

Join FanDuel Sportsbook and get a deposit match up to $100!

FanDuel has been in the fantasy sports business since 2009 and is now offering sports betting. Here’s a rundown of the company’s new sports betting platform and its existing DFS offering.

Editor’s review

FanDuel Sportsbook and sports betting

FanDuel launched its physical sportsbook at The Meadowlands Racetrack on July 14, 2018.

FanDuel does not have an online sports betting site or app yet, but that will come later in the summer. FanDuel is offering sports betting as a result of its acquisition by European gaming operator Paddy Power Betfair, which plans to use the FanDuel brand for sports betting throughout the United States.

FanDuel sports betting platform

We presume that FanDuel’s online sportsbook will look and act much like the platform that is used for Paddy Power and Betfair in European markets. It’s one of the popular online sportsbooks in the UK and beyond.

FanDuel will likely feature both a browser-based sports betting site and a sports betting app.

Also of note: You will likely need a separate app for FanDuel sports betting and DFS.

What can you bet on at FanDuel Sportsbook?

The list of sports you can bet on should be long, including:

• NFL
• College football
• Major League Baseball
• NBA
• College basketball
• NHL
• Golf
• Tennis
• Auto racing
• Soccer
• Boxing
• Mixed martial arts

And that’s likely not even close to the entire list.

Types of bets at FanDuel Sportsbook

The menu of bets should be like one would find at most online sportsbooks:

• Point spreads: The sportsbook sets a number of points that the teams will lose or win by, and bettors wager on it. For example, in football, if a team is favored by seven points, you could bet on team x to win by more than seven or team y to lose by less than seven (you’d also win the bet if the underdog wins outright).
• Moneyline: You can bet on who will in a contest; you get a better payout if the
• Totals/proposition bets: With totals, bettors wager whether the total number of points/runs/etc. will be under or over the total set by the sportsbook. In a proposition, a book will pose a bet with two sides, such as will a player hit a home run in a game?
• Futures: You can bet on who will win a future event, such as the Super Bowl.
• In-play: Wagers that take place during sporting events, which could be on performances with in the game or live odds on point spreads or moneylines based on the current score/status of a game.

Will you be able to bet on FanDuel NJ in other states?

The short answer: No.

The FanDuel sports betting app will only be available for people physically located in New Jersey. In order for FanDuel to offer sports betting outside of New Jersey, it would have to be licensed in those states.

FanDuel does have partnerships in place in both West Virginia and New York for sports betting in the future.

FanDuel daily fantasy sports

FanDuel is a beginner-friendly daily fantasy sports site with an intuitive and responsive platform. They offer an excellent first-deposit bonus by current DFS standards and an attractive loyalty program. FanDuel’s sports selection has improved over the past year, and we expect this trend to continue.

FanDuel first deposit bonus

FanDuel offers a $10 bonus to all new players who deposit at least five dollars.

FanDuel promotions

As of July 2018, FanDuel offers the following promotions:

Cashback

FanDuel’s loyalty program awards points for buying into real-money contests. For every $1 you spend on entries, you’ll receive five FanDuel Points (FDPs). You can redeem 2,400 FDPs for one dollar in contest tickets. Considering it costs $490 to earn 2,400 FDPs, the deal translates to 1/490 = 0.2 percent cashback.

Guaranteed tournaments for VIP players

When you accumulate FDPs, you advance up FanDuel’s eleven-tier ladder. Each tier awards free access to monthly guaranteed contests, weekly guaranteed contests, or both. Following is a list of available tiers, along with the monthly FDPs you must earn to reach them and the associated monthly and weekly guarantees they offer:

• Free agent – 50 FDPs – $250 monthly guarantee – $50 weekly guarantee
• Practice Squad – 250 – $500 – $125
• Reserve – 250 – $1,000 – $200
• Prospect – 500 – $2,000 – $400
• Rookie – 1,250 – $3,000 – $500
• Pro – 2,500 – $4,000 – $750
• All-Star – 7,500 – $7,000 – $1,000
• MVP – 25,000 – $25,000 – none
• Hall of Famer – 125,000 – $25,000 – none
• Legend – 600,000 – $25,000 – none
• GOAT – 2,500,000 – $25,000 – none

Additional perks include VIP treatment and access to exclusive bonuses and promotions.

FanDuel contests

FanDuel offers eight contest types:

• Tournaments: Come with guaranteed prize pools in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  
• Beat the score: the prize pool is shared evenly between all teams that reach a predetermined minimum score.
  
• Multipliers tournaments: allow you to win a multiple of the entry price.
  
• Head to heads: a one-versus-one format. The winner claims the entire prize pool.
  
• Low-cap tournaments: allow between three and 100 players.
• 50/50s: top 50% of participating teams get paid.
• Beginner tournaments: only inexperienced players allowed, with “inexperienced” defined as a player with less than 50 contests under their belt.
• Satellites: win entries to larger contests.

FanDuel sports

As of June 2018, the following sports are represented at FanDuel:

• NFL
• NBA
• NHL
• Soccer
• MLB
• PGA
• Nascar
• Golf
• WNBA

Custom contests

Just like DraftKings and any other serious DFS site, FanDuel lets you create custom contests. The process is straightforward and can be initiated by clicking the green “Create contest” button in the top-left section of the lobby. From there:

1. Select a sport and date
2. Select whether your contest should be private or open to the public
3. Choose between head-to-head and 3-20 players
4. Set an entry price. For heads-up contests, the fee can range from free to $10,600. In multiplayer mode, the maximum price is capped at $100.
5. Select a prize structure. In head-to-head contests, “winner takes all” is the only option. For multiplayer contests, you can choose between “winner takes all,” “top three get prizes,” and “top one third receives payouts.”

The entire process is intuitive and takes place on a single page.

Beginner-friendly features

We consider FanDuel a beginner-friendly DFS site. Here’s why:

Multiple beginner-friendly contest types

Beginner-only contests are open to inexperienced players only. Players with more than 50 contests under their belt or with a history of scoring multiple large wins are barred from entering.

50/50 and low-cap contests reduce variance by limiting the number of players who don’t get paid. This increases each player’s chance of finishing in the money, which is essential for boosting a beginner’s morale. One-entry contests serve a similar purpose by restricting the number of lineups that can be entered per tournament.

Restricted expert access

As of June 2018, experienced players are not allowed to enter contests that cost less than $3 to join. This restriction ensures that new players, who usually flock to small buy-in contests, will mostly face other inexperienced players.

Easy access to free guaranteed tournaments

FanDuel’s VIP program includes 11 levels, the first two of which are particularly easy to reach by beginners:

• Free Agent: $10 in monthly entry purchases required
• Practice Squad: $50 in entries required

Reaching Free Agent status gives you access to one $250-guaranteed and four $50-guaranteed tournaments, and reaching Practice Squad status provides access to one $500 and four $125 tournaments.

Training Camps

The FanDuel website offers training camps for all their sports, with NASCAR being the most recent addition. Each guide lists the maximum number of players allowed per lineup, the sport’s salary cap, detailed scoring information, and tips for improving your results.

Deposit methods

You can make instant deposits using PayPal, VISA, or Mastercard. The standard monthly deposit limit is $10,000, except for players located in:

• Tennessee – limited to $1,000 per month
• Maryland and Massachusetts – limited to $2,500 per month

Contact support if you would like to increase your limits, but be aware that you may be asked to provide proof of income.

Withdrawal methods

You can withdraw winnings through PayPal (up to 48 hours) or cheque by mail (up to 10 business days). PayPal transactions are capped at $10,000, while cheque withdrawals are uncapped.

Anti-money laundering efforts

FanDuel complies with international anti-money laundering laws.

Criminal organizations may deposit money with internet gaming services, with no intention to play and then withdraw it to a different account in an attempt to cover their tracks. FanDuel helps prevent this illegal activity by reserving the right to block withdrawals if it appears that the deposit was not made with the intention of buying into DFS contests.

Upon requesting your first withdrawal, you’ll be asked to provide a social security number. FanDuel will run this number through automated verification systems to confirm your identity.

FanDuel may also carry out random identity checks at their discretion. Verification can entail requesting a photocopy of your ID or a recent utility bill in your name.

If your withdrawals exceed $600 in a given fiscal year, FanDuel is required by law to file a 1099-MISC income form in your name.

FanDuel’s money-back guarantee

The company will refund your deposits up to $100. To qualify:

• You must make a deposit, and
• You must file a refund request no later than 24 hours after your first real-money contest

FanDuel will process your refund request without asking any questions. As soon as your refund is approved, your player’s account will be suspended. To reopen your account, you must contact support and agree to pay back the sum of the refund.

Encryption

All data transferred between your device and FanDuel’s website is encrypted using a 256-bit SSL key.

Registration restrictions

You must be 18 or older to open an account, or 21 if you are located in Massachusetts. Moreover, employees of any DFS site are not allowed to play for real-money at FanDuel.

Responsible gambling tools

Players who believe they may have a gambling problem can use FanDule’s on-site tools to limit their gambling activities. This includes setting daily or monthly limits on:

• Deposit sizes
• Maximum contest entries allowed
• Maximum price of a single entry

Contacting support

FanDuel’s support team can be reached via live chat or by using their online contact form. No phone support is currently available. Live chat is accessible between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern.