PrizePicks, Underdog Daily Fantasy Sports Return to Florida Under New Format

Although Florida residents have limited access to top sports betting sites, there is significant sports betting news emerging from the Sunshine State.

PrizePicks and Underdog are back in the Florida sports betting market with updated daily fantasy sports formats that comply with state regulations, following warnings from the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) to cease their previous offerings.

In September 2023, the FGCC contacted three companies involved in betting, with Betr being the third, to inform them that their DFS formats did not comply with Florida state law. In January, the trio was given a 30-day notice to cease operations in the state or risk facing legal consequences.

Introducing peer-to-peer DFS gaming

Both PrizePicks and Underdog have shifted to offering peer-to-peer gaming instead of their previous model of pitting users against “the house” in response. This new format does not rely on odds set by operators to determine success, aligning peer-to-peer gaming with Florida’s legal definition of acceptable gambling.

PrizePicks has launched “PrizePicks Arena,” where customers can engage in competitions for cash prizes. In this new format, users have the opportunity to win in two ways by selecting players from various teams to create a “lineup.” They must then predict whether these players will surpass or fall short of the listed stats, similar to the Over and Under concept in traditional betting.

PrizePicks groups players together and awards a cash prize to the user who scores the highest number of “points” in the group. Users can also win automatically by creating a “perfect lineup.”

The latest addition from Underdog is the “Underdog Pick ‘Em Champions,” which bears resemblance to their existing offerings.

Under Underdog’s version, users must create a roster with a minimum of two players from different teams and a maximum of five players. They will also choose whether these players will exceed or fall short of their listed stats.

The prize is determined by the scoring criteria of the chosen contest. The contestant with the highest number of correct picks wins the entire prize, which will be divided among any tied participants. Each contest allows for up to 50,000 entries.

New format doesn’t cross the line

Currently, the sole authorized sports betting site in Florida is Hard Rock, operated by the Seminole Nation.

Other states have also required DFS operators to change their formats, not just Florida. PrizePicks settled for $15 million with the New York Gaming Commission in February over a similar issue, and has not yet resumed operations in the state.

“PrizePicks Arena” first started in the sports betting markets of Tennessee, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Alabama. It has now expanded to include Arizona and Massachusetts after dealing with similar legal challenges.