Daily fantasy sports (DFS) and traditional sports betting
have a lot in common. They are both popular forms of gambling
for example, and they also require similar skill-sets and
knowledge bases. It’s possible to gain an edge and make long
term profits with both as well.

In addition to the similarities they share, however, there
are also some key differences between the two. The commissions
charged are different for one thing, and in DFS the opponents
are other human players rather than bookmakers. The laws that
govern the two activities are different too, or at least they
are in some regions. This point is particularly relevant if you
live in the United States, due to the complicated laws regarding
sports betting as you’re probably all too aware of. The legal
situation is a lot clearer with daily fantasy sports.

• Seven decades ago, New York City Mayor William O’Dwyer sent a message to the New York State Legislature, pleading for an amendment to the state Constitution to legalize gambling on sports.
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On this page we explore what we believe to be the biggest
similarities and differences between daily fantasy sports and
traditional sports betting. This should help you to make a more
educated decision about which one you’d rather pursue.

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Keep in mind that daily fantasy sports and
traditional sports betting are NOT mutually exclusive. You can
easily enjoy both hobbies at the same time. In fact, any
experience you gain in DFS can improve your betting abilities,
and vice versa.

Smart Players Can Profit from Both

One of the better written books about gambling is How to Make
$100,000 a Year Gambling for a Living by David Sklansky and
Mason Malmuth. In that book, the authors point out that there
are only a handful of gambling activities where you can
realistically gain enough of an edge to make a living. These are
as follows.

• Blackjack
• Poker
• Sports Betting
• Video Poker

The book came out long before the advent of daily fantasy
sports, but had they been around when the book was written then
the authors might well have included them.

One of the observations in the book was that a smart, skilled
sports bettor can make more money as a professional gambler than
anyone specializing in any of the other forms of gambling on the
above list. That may be up for debate, but it’s a fact that you
can make money from sports betting if you know what you’re
doing. The same applies to daily fantasy sports, and they have
the potential to be just as profitable as traditional sports
betting for most gamblers.

Both DFS and traditional sports betting offer the opportunity
to profit from your knowledge of a particular sport, or sports.
That’s not enough by itself, as you need to be able translate
that knowledge into mathematically advantageous strategies, but
consistent profits are possible with the right approach and a
willingness to learn.

In other words, if you’re smart and willing to work hard, you
can earn a living from daily fantasy sports or from sports
betting. Remember, as we already mentioned, you don’t even have
to choose between the two. There’s no reason why you can’t be
profitable at both.

Daily Fantasy Sports Is Legal and Safe

Sports betting is completely legal in many parts of the
world. Certain regions, such as the United Kingdom for example,
have bookmaking shops where you can bet on any sport you want.
In many other places, online betting is 100% legal and fully
regulated.

If you live in the United States, however, your situation is
somewhat different. The only way to bet on sports without having
any cause for concern is to use Las Vegas books. This is legal,
and perfectly safe too. There’s no need to worry about getting
arrested or not getting paid out, as these books operate within
the law and pay their winners right away. Betting online is an
alternative option, but it’s not an entirely legal one.

The gambling laws in America are
confusing at best, but we’ve tried to explain them as clearly as
possible on our page covering US gambling legislation.

No American is likely to be arrested for betting online, as
the laws and enforcement activities focus on the books and not
the people using them. This can still affect you though. If an
offshore sportsbook you’re using gets shut down by US law then
you may lose any money you have there.

Consider, too, what kinds of businesses are willing to
operate on the wrong side of the law. If they’re willing to take
your action knowing that it’s illegal under federal law, are
they likely to have a strong moral code when it comes to paying
out winnings? Maybe some of them will, but surely some of them
won’t. This problem can be avoided by using reputable betting
sites, but it’s still something for American sports bettors to
think about.

Daily fantasy sports, on the other hand, are legal and safe.
These games use the same rules as traditional fantasy sports
contests, which have never been legally controversial in the
USA. You can play from your computer too, so there’s no need to
travel to Vegas to participate.

For Americans wanting to get money into action on sports over
the internet, daily fantasy sports have a clear advantage over
offshore sports books.

DFS & Sports Betting Both Have Commissions

Daily fantasy sports sites usually keep a 10% commission on
all entry fees before paying out cash prizes. Here’s how that
works.

Bookmakers also keep a commission, but the net amount is
usually lower. Here’s how that usually works.

The net effect of this difference is that you’ll need to
maintain a higher winning percentage in order to break even in
daily fantasy sports. You need a roughly 52.4% win rate at
sports betting when laying $110 to win $100. But in daily
fantasy sports, you need a roughly 55.6% win rate to break even.
This also means that you need a correspondingly higher win rate
in order to achieve the same goals for your ROI (return on
investment).

Our explanation relating to how
bookmakers charge commission is deliberately simplified for the
purposes of this article. For a more detailed look at the
subject, please read our article on how bookmakers make money.

There’s No Bookmaker to Beat in DFS

We’ve just mentioned how the commissions for DFS are
effectively higher than those charged by bookmakers. Although
this appears to be an obvious disadvantage of playing daily
fantasy contests, when you take other factors into account it’s
not actually that big a deal.

One factor that should be taken into account is that sports
betting involves pitting your skills against the skills of the
odds compilers and handicappers that are employed by bookmakers.
These people are very skilled, and they are essentially the main
reason why the sportsbook business is so profitable.

In the case of the Vegas lines, you’re talking about experts
with a practically unlimited access to data and its analysis.
It’s hard to compete with that kind of analysis and win enough
wagers to make money on a consistent basis. They set the odds
and lines with such efficiency that it’s incredibly difficult to
gain an edge over them. It’s possible, but it’s very
challenging.

When you enter a daily fantasy sports contest, you’re facing
other people just like yourself. Some of the opponents you come
up against might be more skilled than you, but they won’t all
be. In fact, many of them will be not very good at all. You
certainly won’t face many opponents who are as hard to beat as
the bookmakers.

In this respect, daily fantasy sports contests resemble poker
games. If you’re one of the best players at a poker table, you
can consistently put yourself into positive expectation
situations and win money more often than you lose. The same
applies to being one of the best fantasy sports players on a
site.

Both Activities Might Be Addictive

Gambling of any kind can be a curse to people with behavior
control problems. The science behind gambling addiction is
clear, and it’s all to do with the human mind and the
biochemistry of the brain. Without the right levels of
self-control, it’s entirely possible to create a dependency on
the highs and lows of gambling.

This a very important point to note. The internet is rife
with horror stories of people whose lives have been ruined by
gambling, and you don’t want to be one of those people. If
you’re someone who has quit gambling on sports because of your
addictive personality, daily fantasy contests are not a safe
alternative. If you can’t control your impulses when betting on
sports, changing to another form of gambling is not going to
help.

Gambling addiction is similar to alcohol addiction.
Alcoholics can’t get their drinking under control just by
switching from whiskey to beer. It just doesn’t work.

Lots of people can enjoy gambling as a hobby, but many others
can’t. If you’re in the latter category, just stay away from
traditional sports betting AND daily fantasy sports. The
potential misery isn’t worth it. If you think you need help,
then do something about getting that help. Life is precious, and
every moment you spend as a slave to an addiction is a moment of
possible freedom wasted.

Summary

We’ve shown that traditional sports betting and daily fantasy
sports have some things in common, and there are also some
differences between the two activities. Each has its own
advantages and disadvantages.

An experienced sports bettor may feel much more comfortable
sticking with what he knows. An American may be happier playing
daily fantasy sports due to the clearer legal situation. There’s
no right or wrong here, and it’s a simple matter of personal
preference. We don’t recommend one over the other.

What we do recommend, though, is that you at least give daily
fantasy sports a try. You might not like it, but you might just
love it.

After New Jersey's Supreme Court victory in May 2018, any state that wishes can legalize sports betting.

At the same time various state lawmakers are considering sports betting legislation, Congress is too. Senators Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and now-retired Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, co-introduced comprehensive sports betting legislation at the end of 2018. On Sept. 27, 2018 the House Judiciary Committee held a formal hearing on the topic.

The dual track of proposals -- state and federal -- have increased in frequency since the start of 2017.

To measure the change in the landscape, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of how likely it is for each jurisdiction to offer full-scale legal sports betting. A brief synopsis for the active states is included, with updates to follow.

Last updated on November 3, 2020.

Already there

1. Nevada

No longer the only state to permit a wide variety of legal sports betting, Nevada is a mature market that has existed for decades. Given its long history in successfully offering regulated sports wagering, many states might look to Nevada for best practices.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: None
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 223
Population: 3,034,392 (2,246,259 21+)

2. Delaware

On June 5, 2018, Delaware moved to offer single-game betting on a number of different sports at three casinos in the state. Expanded sports wagering options could take place at additional locations or online. Delaware's authorization of what Gov. John Carney described as 'a full-scale sports gaming operation' happened less than a month after the Supreme Court ruled that the federal law restricting single-game betting to Nevada was unconstitutional.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person
Notable prohibitions: No betting on games involving in-state college teams
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 3
Population: 967,171 (726,161 21+)

3. New Jersey

On June 11, 2018, Gov. Phil Murphy signed the sports betting bill that had passed the previous week. A William Hill sportsbook at Monmouth Park took the first bets on Thursday, June 14 at 10:30 a.m. ET. Gov. Murphy was the first customer in line. The Borgata in Atlantic City booked sports bets 30 minutes later. Other sportsbooks in New Jersey opened soon thereafter. For example, FanDuel's first sportsbook at the Meadowlands opened its doors on July 14.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: No betting on games involving in-state college teams and collegiate events held within the state
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 9
Population: 8,908,520 (6,634,683 21+)

4. Mississippi

Two casinos owned by MGM Resorts booked their first sports bets in Mississippi on Aug. 1, 2018. Mississippi enacted a new law in 2017 that allowed for sports betting pending a favorable decision by the Supreme Court. In June 2018, the Mississippi Gaming Commission adopted implementing regulations that require all betting to take place in person, with mobile wagering to be considered later.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person
Notable prohibitions: None
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 29
Population: 2,986,530 (2,153,795 21+)

5. West Virginia

On Aug. 30, 2018, West Virginia became the fifth state to offer legal and regulated sports betting when the Hollywood Casino -- a sportsbook owned by Penn National -- opened its doors. The move came six months after the West Virginia legislature passed a new bill with the West Virginia Lottery Commission serving as the chief regulator.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: None
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 5
Population: 1,805,832 (1,375,788 21+)

6. New Mexico

On Oct. 16, 2018, the Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel booked its first sports bet in partnership with Nevada-based USBookmaking. Although New Mexico has not passed any new sports betting legislation since the Supreme Court's decision, the move by the Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel was made via a gaming compact with the state. According to Nedra Darling, spokeswoman at the Department of the Interior's Office of Indian Affairs -- the federal agency in Washington, DC that oversees tribal gaming compacts -- the New Mexico compacts permit 'any or all forms of Class III Gaming,' a category in the federal regulations that specifically includes '[a]ny sports betting and pari-mutuel wagering.'

Type of wagering permitted: In-person
Notable prohibitions: No betting on games involving in-state college teams
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 32
Population: 2,095,428 (1,529,540 21+)

7. Pennsylvania

The Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course booked the first legal sports bets in Pennsylvania in mid-November 2018. The move came just over a year after Gov. Tom Wolf signed a new sports betting bill as part of a broad legislation push that included online poker and DFS. The October 2017 bill became effective after the Supreme Court's May 2018 ruling upending the federal ban on single-game betting outside of Nevada.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: None
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 12
Population: 12,807,060 (9,645,705 21+)

8. Rhode Island

The Twin River Casino in Lincoln opened its doors for legal sports betting on Nov. 26, 2018. The move came five months after Gov. Gina Raimondo signed the state budget, which included language allowing sports betting. Only two locations would be allowed to offer sports betting under the law, with the state's lottery providing regulatory oversight. In early 2019, the law was tweaked to provide for mobile betting.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: No betting on games involving in-state college teams
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 2
Population: 1,057,315 (800,838 21+)

9. Arkansas

On July 1, 2019, the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort booked the first legal sports bets in Arkansas. Two other retail locations opened sportsbooks in the subsequent months. Sports betting is regulated by the Arkansas Racing Commission.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person
Notable prohibitions: No betting on games involving in-state college teams
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 3
Population: 3,013,825 (2,191,256 21+)

10. New York

On July 16, 2019, the first legal sports bets were placed in New York. J. Gary Pretlow -- a New York lawmaker and chair of the state's racing and wagering committee -- was among the first to place a wager at the Rivers Casino in Schenectady. The opening of a legal sportsbook came six years after New York passed a law to allow sports betting at four on-site locations, all in upstate New York. After lying dormant for years, the law was revived after the Supreme Court ruling in 2018 and the issuance of regulations earlier this year. The current law does not allow for mobile wagering.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person
Notable prohibitions: No betting on games involving in-state college teams
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 28
Population: 19,542,209 (14,724,807 21+)

11. Iowa

Legal sports betting arrived in Iowa on Aug. 15, with multiple operators all opening their doors to customers on the first day. The move came three months after Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into a law a comprehensive bill to legalize sports betting in the Hawkeye State. Operators must pay a $45,000 licensing fee and there is a 6.75 percent tax on revenue. The new law permits mobile wagering. Betting on college sports is permitted, but certain kinds of in-game prop bets involving college games are banned. The new law bestows the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission with authority to regulate sports betting.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: No prop betting on in-state college athletics
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 23
Population: 3,156,145 (2,286,374 21+)

12. Oregon

Legal sports betting returned to Oregon on Aug. 27 after a long hiatus, with the first bets booked on-site at the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City. Oregon is one of a small number of states that already had a law on the books permitting some forms of sports betting, so the resumption of wagering did not require the legislature to pass any new law or have the governor amend an existing tribal-state compact. In mid-October, mobile sports betting arrived in Oregon too, with the state-run lottery overseeing the launch of a new website and app.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: None at the Chinook Winds Casino Resort, but sportsbook operated by the Oregon Lottery does not permit betting on games involving in-state colleges
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 10
Population: 4,190,713 (3,167,912 21+)

13. Indiana

Legal sports betting opened up at a number of locations in Indiana on Sept. 1. The Indiana Gaming Commission oversees all sports betting regulations and has issued licenses to operators across the state. Wagering on both college and pro sports is permitted, but betting on esports and high school sports is banned. Indiana's new law allows for both mobile and in-person wagering. Regulations permit sports leagues or colleges to request 'to utilize a geofence to prohibit wagers at the location of a particular sporting event.'

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: No prop betting on in-state college athletics
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 14
Population: 6,691,878 (4,842,337 21+)

14. New Hampshire

Governor Chris Sununo placed the ceremonial first legal sports wager -- on the New England Patriots -- in New Hampshire on Dec. 30, 2019. The state's lottery is in charge of regulatory of regulatory oversight. Both retail and mobile sports betting will be permitted on a wide variety of sports, although no betting on New Hampshire's in-state colleges is allowed.

Type of wagering permitted: Mobile
Notable prohibitions: No betting on in-state colleges
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 0
Population: 1,356,458 (1,042,882 21+)

15. Illinois

Legal sports betting arrived in Illinois on March 9, 2020. The move came less than a year after the Illinois legislature passed a broad gaming bill that allowed for both online and in-person sports betting. With Governor J.B. Pritzker's signature, the new law also provided for betting on-location at venues such as Wrigley Field. Operators and certain data providers are required to obtain a license under the new law.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: No wagering on minor leagues or Illinois college teams
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 10
Population: 12,741,080 (9,391,158 21+)

16. Michigan

Legal sports betting in Michigan commenced on March 11, 2020, with two Detroit-area casinos launching on the same day. The move came less than three months after Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the 'Lawful Sports Betting Act' into law. The new law provides for wagering on a wide variety of sports, including college contests.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: None
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 27
Population: 9.995,915 (7,428,72721+)

17. Montana

Legal sports betting arrived in Montana in March 2020. The move came after Governor Steve Bullock formally signed into law a 28-page bill that brought sports wagering to Big Sky country via the state's lottery. Governor Bullock cited the Montana Lottery's 'proven track record of responsibility and integrity' when signing the bill.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person
Notable prohibitions: None
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 13
Population: 1,062,305 (793,151 21+)

18. Colorado

May 1, 2020 marked the launch of legal sports betting in Colorado, with multiple operators allowing residents to open accounts online and place wagers. The move came less than six months after Colorado voters -- by a narrow margin -- approved a ballot measure that would provide 'for the regulation of sports betting through licensed casinos.' Both mobile and retail sports betting are permitted. Tax revenue from sports betting will help fund various state water projects.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions: None
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019): 35
Population: 5,695,564 (4,210,663.00 21+)

19. Washington, D.C.

In June 2020, the D.C. Lottery launched its 'GameBetDC' platform allowing consumers 'to wager while in the District on major sports worldwide' via computer or mobile device. Sports betting in nation's capital followed the passage of the Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2018 and a Congressional review period during which time Congress did not formally object. The Office of Lottery and Gaming provides regulatory oversight of all sports wagering in D.C.

Type of wagering permitted: In-person and mobile
Notable prohibitions:No betting on games involving colleges located in D.C.
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019):None
Population: 705,749

20. Tennessee

Regulated sports wagering -- all online -- launched on November 1, 2020 in Tennessee with four licensed operators offering a wide variety of options. The 'Tennessee Sports Gaming Act' permits statewide mobile sports betting without any brick-and-mortar anchor. As such, there are no in-person retail sports betting locations in the state. Subject to an exception, Tennessee's new law requires all licensed operators to 'exclusively use official league data for purposes of live betting.'

Type of wagering permitted: Mobile only
Notable prohibitions:None
Number of casinos (as of Dec. 31, 2019):None
Population: 6,829,174

On-deck circle

21. North Carolina

On July 26, 2019, Governor Roy Cooper signed into a law a bill to 'allow sports and horse race wagering on tribal lands,' with such betting designated as a 'Class III' gaming activity under the state compact. The new law permits betting on both college and professional sports, but all bettors must place their wagers in-person at one of two retail locations.

22. Washington

Governor Jay Inslee signed Washington's sports betting bill into law on March 25, 2020. The new law permits sports wagering at Class III tribal casinos in the state. Mobile sports wagering is not allowed statewide, but is permitted when on-site at a licensed tribal casino. Betting on an 'esports competition or event' is allowed, but the new law bans wagering on games involving in-state colleges or minor league professional events. The new bill delegates regulatory oversight to the Washington State Gambling Commission.

23. Virginia

After some back-and-forth between Governor Ralph Northam and the legislature, legalized sports wagering was approved in the Commonwealth of Virginia in April 2020. Online betting is allowed, but wagering is not permitted on Virginia-based college sports or certain youth sports.

24. Maryland

In November 2020, Maryland voters approved 'sports and events betting for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education' by about a 2-1 margin. A regulatory framework must be created by Maryland lawmakers before any sports wagering takes place. The Maryland referendum would potentially allow for both in-person and mobile sports betting throughout the state.

25. South Dakota

On November 3, 2020, voters in South Dakota approved a ballot measure permitting 'sports wagering in Deadwood.' Other tribal locations in South Dakota could see the arrival of regulated sports betting too. State lawmakers must now establish a regulatory apparatus and tax rate for legalized sports wagering.

26. Louisiana

In November 2020, voters in the vast majority of Louisiana's 64 parishes approved a ballot measure permitting 'sports wagering activities and operations.' As a result, regulated sports wagering could come to New Orleans and certain other cities as early as 2021. Lawmakers will be tasked with setting up a regulatory scheme during an upcoming state legislative session.

Moving toward legalization

All of these states have seen some degree of legislative activity towards the legalization of sports betting the past few years.

27. Oklahoma

In April 2020, two federally-recognized tribes reached agreement with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt on new gaming compacts that include sports betting. On June 8, 2020, Governor Stitt announced that the Department of the Interior had approved the compacts, paving the way for sports betting to start in Oklahoma as soon as the 'compacts are published in the Federal Register.' A bipartisan group of state lawmakers, along with Oklahoma's attorney general, have expressed opposition to the expansion of sports betting in Oklahoma and the prospect of legalized sports wagering remains uncertain.

28. Maine

On the last day of the state's 2019 legislative session -- June 19 -- Maine lawmakers passed 'An Act to Ensure Proper Oversight of Sports Betting in the State.' Shortly thereafter, the governor vetoed the bill. The legislature could re-introduce the bill later.

29. Nebraska

On November 3, 2020, Nebraska voters approved certain amendments to its state constitution legalizing 'all games of chance.' If the new constitutional amendments are construed to include wagering on sporting events, legalized sports betting could arrive in Nebraska upon the establishment of certain regulations.

30. Connecticut

31. Kentucky

32. Massachusetts

33. Minnesota

34. Missouri

35. Kansas

36. South Carolina

37. California

39. Ohio

40. Arizona

41. Hawaii

42. Texas

43. Georgia

44. Vermont

45. Alabama

46. Florida

47. Alaska

48. Wyoming

No legalization activity ... yet

49-50. Idaho and Wisconsin

These states have not had any publicly-announced bills devoted to sports betting legalization.

Unlikely

51. Utah

Sports Gambling Daily

Utah's anti-gambling stance is written into the state's constitution. Any change to existing state policy toward gambling would be a massive departure from decades of opposition to any form of gambling, including lottery tickets, table games and sports betting.