California Daily Fantasy Sports

While efforts have been made recently to make fantasy sports officially legal in the state of California, none have ended the issue. Yes, DFS sites still operate in California. You can play fantasy sports for real money and promo offers with Draftkings, and Fanduel sites/apps. 

While they wait for State lawmakers to legalize sports betting in California, following the Supreme Court’s decision in 2018 to overturn the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, sports-mad residents of San Francisco are legally able to take part in a range of Daily Fantasy Sports games, via websites and apps such as Draftkings and FanDuel, which have become increasingly popular in recent years.

Is it legal to play DFS in California?

It should come as no surprise that Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) betting is legal in sports-mad California and San Francisco, as it is across the whole of the equally sports-mad State of California.

Right now, however, sports betting remains largely illegal across CA. But, following the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to overturn the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, it is not expected to be long before betting on sports is permitted across the State. A public referendum on sports betting is planned in California as part of the 2020 election cycle and a number of politicians have indicated they would support its legalization.

Until such time as sports betting is made legal, however, sports fans have Fantasy Sports challenges. Fantasy sports leagues have been around for some time but betting on them – notably through DFS games –  has only become particularly popular in recent years. Fantasy Sports generally avoided the federal ban on sports betting in America, which ran from 1992 until it was overturned in 2018, because of a provision in the law that classed them as games of skill, rather than games of chance.

That means it is perfectly allowed to play DFS games in California on sites such as DraftKings, FanDuel and ESPN.

San Francisco (California) Daily Fantasy Sports Betting Sites 

DraftKings California site boasts a range of sports, including fantasy basketball, golf, baseball, soccer, football, hockey, and even Nascar, MMA, and the CFL, and features free as well as pay-to-enter games. Until midnight December 31, 2019, DraftKings is offering a $10 free play bonus to new registered users who follow a referral link and who deposit $5. It also offers other inducements to new users at different times of year.

FanDuel like DraftKings is a fantasy sports platform and features free as well as pay-to-enter games. Between them, FanDuel and DraftKings have 90 percent of the daily fantasy sports market. FanDuel is offering a bonus of $5 to new users who make an initial deposit of €5. It also offers other inducements to new users at different times of year.

ESPN Fantasy Sports is one of the most popular fantasy sports apps and supports fantasy sports such as basketball, football, rugby, hockey, and baseball. Its DFS competitions are free to enter, but prizes are smaller than the paid-for DraftKings and FanDuel games.

CBS Sports Fantasy covers fantasy baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. Like ESPN Fantasy, its DFS competitions are free to enter, but prizes are smaller than the paid-for DraftKings and FanDuel games

Similar to ESPN and CBS Sports Fantasy games, Yahoo Fantasy Sports covers most sports, including fantasy hockey, football, baseball, and basketball.

All websites offer expert advice from their pundits on players to pick and avoid – and have a strong social media presence. Look out, too, for player forums on websites such as RotoGrinders, Daily Fantasy Sports Forum, or footballguys.com.