PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy launch P2P games in Florida
Operator pair launch P2P versions of their pick’em-style DFS games months after being forced to pull out of the Sunshine State
PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy have launched peer-to-peer (P2P) versions of their pick’em-style daily sports games in Florida, two months after withdrawing from the Sunshine State.
The original issue around pick’em-style games in Florida began in September 2023, when the Florida Gaming Control Commission sent cease and desist letters to the aforementioned operators, with the regulator saying that “betting or wagering on the result of contests of skill, such as sports betting, including fantasy sports betting, is strictly prohibited and constitutes a felony offense.”
Despite this, the pair continued to operate in Florida until March 1, 2024, following a second cease and desist letter issued to the duo at the end of January.
PrizePicks launched its Arena game in Florida this week, following its debut in Tennessee in January, as well as launches in Alabama, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
With Arena, players compete for guaranteed prizes by being put into groups matching their number of entries, selected entry fee, and experience level on the platform.
On the release of Arena in Florida, a PrizePicks spokesperson said: “Arena is a P2P game played against other players rather than against the house. This model of games of skill was not subject to scrutiny in Florida.
“While we prefer state codification for all fantasy games of skill, rather than the common law, we look forward to working with policymakers to protect the DFS games sports fans across Florida love.”
Similarly, Underdog Fantasy has brought its Champions game to Florida this week following discussions with the regulator.
As reported by Legal Sports Report, an Underdog Fantasy spokesperson said: “Florida’s gaming structure and compact are completely unique, though the state has made it clear peer-to-peer fantasy sports are permissible by expressly allowing FanDuel, DraftKings, Yahoo, OwnersBox, and others to offer their fantasy games.
“So, in addition to our draft contests, we are now also offering our strictly P2P fantasy contest, Champions, to the millions of fans in the state. We’ve worked with Florida regulators, and when they previously asked us to stop offering a product, we did, and we are now following the new blueprint state officials have established.”
Pick’em-style games have been the subject of major controversy in multiple states since the turn of the year.
In Arkansas, the regulator said pick’em-style contests offered by the operators were more associated with player prop bets, which fall under the sports betting category.
Due to this, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration issued cease and desist letters to PrizePicks and Underdog in February 2024, as the pair were judged to be offering unlicensed sports betting in the state.
In Kansas, Underdog and five other fantasy sports operators were asked to leave the state over “illegal sports wagering” in February 2024.
Elsewhere, PrizePicks agreed to pay a $15m settlement in New York for operating without a license in the state for three years as well as withdrawing its against-the-house pick’em-style games from the state.