Daily Fantasy Soccer Websites Changing The Game In USA

If you’ve watched any sports programming on US television during the past few weeks, you will have likely seen or heard TV commercials to play in a daily sports fantasy game for a chance to win large sums of money. But what is this phenomenon all about? Can you really win cash, and how are these games legal in the United States? Let’s find out.

The betting industry in the States is worth an estimated $100 billion a year. A massive chunk of that is through the casino industry. Traditional bookmakers found on the streets take just $200 million of that figure. While America is still living in the past when it comes to gambling online where it’s mostly illegal, there is a loophole that allows fantasy sports to exist.

Replacing the word gambling with fantasy has suddenly opened up a closed market for millions of would be punters wishing to play soccer games online. Several daily fantasy soccer games have launched in the States this fall, and have proven to be a hit, adding spice to the games they can frequently watch via TV or online.

Though fantasy soccer games exist in Europe, the American and the European versions vary quite differently. In Europe, a fantasy soccer league will last all season. But in America, game makers have come up with a novel idea, creating a fantasy league that lasts just one weekend. You select 8 players not eleven and the stats favor an attacking frame of mind with just the two defenders to choose from. From there on in, the rules are fairly simple. You are given a budget of $50,000 and you must have at least three different Premier League teams involved within the players you choose for your team. Chelsea’s Diego Costa is the highest priced player; he will set you back a whopping $12,200. What is interesting is the lack of punishment in the point’s rules. Almost all of the points are in plus and only two are negative. A goalkeeper conceding a goal is -2pts and a red card will only cost you -1pt.

It is too early of course to say how successful this dip into fantasy soccer will be. However fantasy sports in the US are a huge industry that grown-ups take extremely seriously. Fantasy soccer is still in its infancy, so top prizes are in the thousands of dollars, not millions like in NFL games. The gulf in prize money from soccer to the NFL is significant because of the current law in the States. This ruling states the jackpot of such prizes cannot be determined on how many people are participating and what has been wagered. In other words, daily fantasy sites must create a jackpot prize not influenced by how much money it receives.

The daily soccer sites have been able to strip out all of the complications of traditional season-long fantasy leagues, such as transfers in and out, injuries to a player, etc. None of this has to exist because each tournament is over in 48 hours or less. And this timescale may be the pulling power for the soccer fan. The knowledge that you can collect your winnings within hours rather than have to wait months is a huge psychological bonus.

Alas Americans love their statistics and with fantasy websites offering real time updates to their points as the games are still in play, this could be a long term financial winner. One could evidently go back to the 19th Century and blame Henry Chadwick for the statistical craze in US sports fans DNA. It was he who introduced the numbers game into baseball. It will be interesting to keep a close eye on daily fantasy soccer games to see what impact these new number games have on sports fans.

There are several daily fantasy soccer games available in the United States including Draft11.com, Draft Kings and MondoGoal. Watch out for our reviews of other sites in the coming weeks.