Welcome back to The Daily Grind, the place where I will be discussing all the happenings in Daily Fantasy Sports on a weekly basis. The Daily Grind will be my voice to help you through the constantly changing DFS landscape as I highlight important news, free articles, resources, potential overlay situations, great contests to play and more every week. The emphasis here will be first to cover the four sites that we partnered with this year (FanDuel, DraftKings, FantasyAces and FantasyScore), but I will still discuss major news and contests beyond those sites when applicable.
Last week I talked about the big story with DraftKings and the internal data concerns. Many of you reached out to me that you thought I handled the story well (thank you) and that you liked how I presented first the facts, then the significance of it all and then put a bow on it with my own opinion of what it all meant. This week I was starting to wonder what I was going to be writing about because it felt like a relatively slow news week, and I was somewhat thankful for that. Now in the past day or two, even more news has come out for the big picture of DFS, so I am going to share these news items in the similar style of last week. I will try to not get too far into the weeds of the legal issues (although I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night), but knowing the big issues that are circling around these fantasy games that we have come to know and love is important. So, without further ado, let’s talk about what is going on this week in DFS:
The DFS News of the Week
Once again, lawmakers (and other governing bodies) are getting involved in DFS. Two recent actions in two different states highlight what is going on in the DFS space, starting with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Tampa, Florida opening up an investigation on DFS sites for violating both federal and Florida laws. The state of Florida has had laws on the books for years. Legal Sports Report did a great job in covering the issues at hand here, going all the way back to a 1991 opinion by the office of the Attorney General of Florida that can be best summarized that the current laws against gambling include both games of skill and also games in which two (or more) people can play for each other’s money. The clear implication is that a head-to-head DFS contest on a site like FanDuel or DraftKings (or any other DFS site) would violate this law, as this skill-based game still offers a chance to win the other persons’ money.
The direct result of these investigations has been for many DFS sites to pull out of the state of Florida. To date, Legal Sports Report has statements from at least three sites (StarsDraft, StarFantasyLeagues and DraftOps) that they are no longer operating in Florida, but both FanDuel and DraftKings continue to run contests there for residents of the Sunshine State. This is not a new behavior path for any of these sites, as every site has a disclaimer regarding players from certain states participating in DFS contests.
So what about that second state? You may have heard about games in this one, as it is the state of Nevada. Just this week, the Nevada Gaming Control Board released a statement that DFS sites needed a license to operate within Nevada. As you might imagine, many DFS sites reacted accordingly, attempting to stop accepting players from the state and attempting to exit the market of Nevada quickly and gracefully rather than to adhere with this statement and try to obtain a license.
The significance
I think it is clear what the important parts of the story are here, especially for residents of both Florida and Nevada. But what DFS players must also realize is that there are many other states that could easily follow suit, leading to a cascade of fewer and fewer areas where DFS participation is legally permitted. Michigan had made similar statements as to Nevada’s declaration back in September, yet not much came out of that story. New Jersey has had all kinds of legal battles over sports wagering of late, and now a congressman from the Garden State is asking for a congressional hearing on the topic of DFS and its involvement in professional sports.
The big takeaway here is this – all of the DFS sites hang their hat on the UIGEA carve-out in U.S. Law that allows for fantasy sports contests involving money to be legal as a game of skill. Some legal experts believe that the UIGEA supercedes state law, but others believe that it does not – and thus these individual states are making rulings either by governmental legislation or by another body such as the state gaming commissions to express their opinions on what is permitted, what is not, and how to DFS sites must comply with that state’s laws – if they are even allowed to exist in that particular state.
OPINION
Time for me to share my thoughts about what all of this means. As I write this week’s column here, I have to tell you that I am frantically trying to get all of this out to you the reader as quickly as possible, for I know as soon as it hits your inbox or your screen that some of the information will already have changed. That is how fast these stories are moving. Every DFS player, every site that discusses DFS, and everyone involved in DFS in any way, shape or form is talking about these rulings almost as much as to how to play the games themselves. Just thinking about that is a sad thing. These games are supposed to be fun, right? Sure we can win money, but fantasy sports was supposed to have that fun component to it as well. All this legal talk really steps all over that fun part, now doesn’t it.
Last week I mentioned that I expected regulation to come to DFS at some point and sooner than most expect. That looks like it was a pretty easy prediction to make, for I see it coming down the pike at warp speed towards us all. Whether you live in a state that is permitted, banned or currently a grey area for DFS, it is all going to come to a head soon. Nevada is such a key state when it comes to gaming in the U.S. that their actions have to be looked at as one of the best litmus tests for the legality of DFS in this country. I am not surprised at what they said, but I am surprised at how they said it. Going back to last week, I pointed out that DFS is a game of skill, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) already oversees games of skill (such as poker) and requires a license to operate such games in which facilities that operate those games receive proceeds. For the NGCB to state that DFS was gambling, rather than a game of skill, which could open Pandora’ box across the country. I believe that both FanDuel and DraftKings could have aligned (albeit reluctantly) with the NGCB decision if they had stated that operators of games of skill still need a gaming license. To declare DFS as gambling is throwing down the gauntlet to site operators and asking them to hunker down and battle the ruling that their contests are gambling. This poor word choice, in my opinion, is going to cause way more strife than needed to be for both parties. DraftKings and FanDuel could have obtained the gaming license as an endorsed game of skill and moved forwards, pushing out the smaller sites that could not afford a gaming license and extended the duopoly of two mega-sites for DFS. Instead, Nevada’s NGCB statement set everyone back.
Now we are moving towards politics and legal issues that will swirl around and surround DFS for months, if not years, to come. Each league will get involved in their respective lobbying of congress, as the NFL just did regarding the New Jersey call for a hearing I mentioned earlier. The leagues are already in bed with either FanDuel or DraftKings, either as a league or with respective teams, so they are linked together in this battle. FanDuel also just added a lobbyist for the first time, and I expect DraftKings to follow suit. This discussion and the battles are far from over.
Well, that was fun, but you do need to know what’s going on the DFS world. Now let’s talk about winning some contests in Week 6:
FOOTBALLGUYS AND DFS COVERAGE FOR 2015
You know the deal by now - Footballguys has a ton of DFS coverage this year. Whether it is our two e-books that cover FanDuel (“Cracking FanDuel”) and DraftKings (“Cracking DraftKings”), or the 50+ articles a week we produce to cover all four major sites each week – we have it all covered. All this articles are linked in our Daily Crusher App that continues to be one of he best ways that DFS players can create lineups for cash games and tournaments and also get deep analysis on their rosters, likelihood of winning and exposure to various players. Once you start using this, it will be hard to imagine how you ever lived without it. I'm still learning all the different ways to use this great tool both by experimenting with it and with the help of our Daily Crusher Manual and I can already see its immense value to me as both a cash game and GPP player.
There's a ton more coverage we have this season for DFS, too much to outline in The Daily Grind, but we have a large section dedicated to each of our sponsor sites listed below.
DraftKings Coverage for Week 6
FantasyAces Coverage for Week 6
FantasyScore Coverage for Week 6
Let's also not forget about the Footballguys' blogs for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Watch for new content every day over there.
We even added new video content for 2015. In a partnership with Rotogrinders, you can now see both John Lee and Austin Lee with Dan Back on The Footballguys Rotogrinders Hour. It is a great show with lots of insight. Check it out!
Of course, if you are a bigger fan of The Audible, we have both FanDuel and DraftKings shows for DFS coverage for each site as well. Be sure to subscribe to these weekly podcasts to get your weekends rolling for the NFL DFS slate.
FOOTBALLGUYS DFS CONTEST
Footballguys wants all of their readers to get in on the fun. With the help of both FanDuel, we have a great contest available to Footballguys here in Week 5. The Footballguys Football Championship, presented by FanDuel, offers contestants with a shot at not just a double-up opportunity on their $10 entry, but also a chance at one of the final prizes. All you have to do is beat Sigmund Bloom, David Dodds and Joe Bryant’s scores in a given week and you get a ticket for the Week 11 final contest, where first place will win $5,000. That’s a pretty sweet deal on top of a normal double-up contest, as these extra prizes create a built-in overlay of about $40,000. This one should fill up quickly.
BIG CONTESTS FOR WEEK 6
FANDUEL
Last week I pointed out the great FanDuel NFL Survivor contest, and I hope that you both entered and advanced to the second round. If you did, you need to check your ticket list to see if your entries are available for Sunday. If you don’t know, just click your name on the FanDuel site, then click “My Account”, and then “My Tickets” to see your tickets, and then be sure to update your rosters for Sunday. FanDuel also added the “win a car” freerolls to accounts that qualified (you had to play 2-4 weeks of cash contests, so hopefully you made it). Once again these freerolls should appear on your account, so again, update any dummy rosters.
Aside from that, FanDuel “only” has the same contests as last week on the DFS street continues to offer some of the largest volume of contests around. Start off with the Week 5 $5 Million Contest where someone will win a million bucks for just a $25 entry all the way down to the NFL Sunday Rush, which I have to highlight again this week. I still cannot believe that the prize pool for a $5 entry contest is $2 Million, including $150,000 for first place. What a value that one is. But of course there is more, and as we mentioned earlier in The Daily Grind, FanDuel partnered with Footballguys to create an exclusive Footballguys-FanDuel Championship with over $40,000 in free prizes where you can turn a double-up entry into a ticket for a Week 11 final where if you can beat Joe Bryant, David Dodds and Sigmund Bloom in the week you can add up to $5,000 to that $20 you won in the $10 double-up. That's pretty sweet right there. And of course you have to take note of the Playboy College Football Championship, where you can earn one of 70 exclusive entries to the PCFC event at the Playboy Mansion on November 21st. Qualifiers will be running all season long at FanDuel, so take some shots at these great tournaments with extra incentives and prizes. Let's also not forget about the biggest one of them all, the $12M Fantasy Football World Championship that was announced early this season. Find a qualifier you like and take a shot and winning millions of dollars. The hard part is not deciding if to play, but which contests to target and try and take down.
DRAFTKINGS
DraftKings added the Turbo Survivor contest that I mentioned earlier, and they are continuing with their usual slate of great GPP contests. Such is the case in Week 5 with the $7M Millionaire Maker this week. First place walks away with $1.2M dollars, not a bad payday at all. DraftKings still has the biggest contest around with their $15 Million contest announcement from a few weeks back, and qualifiers are still in play for as low as $3 an entry. Hmmm, $3 for a shot at $5 Million. I’m in, and I think everyone should take a shot at this big prize.
As far as the rest of the contests for this week, there are plenty of tournaments at DraftKings to sink your teeth into, even after the Millionaire Maker. At a price point of just $3, the $1.5M Play-Action tournament is certainly appealing, and this week they pushed the $9 tournament again to $600,000. That puts the NFL Slant contest up to $600K in prizes and you can win as much as $50,000. There' are also several giant 50/50 contests in the lobby as well, including a $25 entry with 10,000 winners about to get $50 Tuesday morning. Lots of contests and lots of money to be had in Week 5, so get those lineups ready.
FANTASYACES
You have to check out what FantasyAces is offering this season. Not only are they going bigger and better for the NFL, but they are also going for a Live Final for College Football!
First, FantasyAces announced the $500,000 NFL Live Final for 2015, which will be in Las Vegas on December 13th. The live final will have 40 entrants competing for a $100,000 grand prize. Qualifiers will run all season long up until the live event, including satellites to get into qualifiers at a discount.
The other major event for FantasyAces is their other live final, the $100,000 College Football Live Final. The live event will take place in Newport Beach, CA on November 21st where 13 finalist will compete for the $100,000 prize pool. The only way to claim a seat to the live final is to win a FACFC qualifier contest, which will be held weekly beginning September 3.
FantasyAces also has an interesting format called SalaryPro, where you get bonus points for staying furhter and further under the salary cap. More and more are trying out this unique format, so be sure to check out the lobby over at FantasyAces for contests that use this rule.
FANTASYSCORE
FantasyScore is offering up a GPP with a twist this year. If you can finish in the Top 3 in their Fantasy Football Championship Satellite, you can grab an elusive golden ticket for an entry towards the Week 16 championship game where $25,000 will be awarded. Another way to get a ticket is to go after the $20 entry satellite that is giving away four tickets. Check out all of these contests and more at our FantasyScore page.
Footballguys has you covered here - both in major DFS announcements and the tools you need to build winning lineups.
Thanks as always for reading The Daily Grind, and good luck this week.