FanDuel is one of the two major daily fantasy sports providers: it has been around for only a couple of years now but has already become one of the biggest names in the whole US gambling industry. FanDuel is often compared to DraftKings, another fantasy sports site that added sports betting services when it became legal in the USA, and our FanDuel review will try to find out if this brand is as worthy as its main competitor.
FanDuel Key Features
Traditionally, we start with the overview of some basics to answer the most important questions: is Fanduel legal? Where can I use it, and who controls its operations? Is the sportsbook convenient, and how can I deposit funds and withdraw my winnings? We will tell you about this and a bit more in the next block of this Fanduel sportsbook review.
Pros and Cons
Legal status in the USA
Good baseball odds
Bonus for new players
Good reputation
Payouts are not always fast
FanDuel security and license
FanDuel became of the first sportsbooks that entered the US gambling market in late 2018 after the PASPA law was repealed, and every state became eligible to determine its policies regarding online sports betting and casino gambling. The first state to see the opening of the brand new sportsbook was New Jersey: FanDuel was approved by the New Jersey Division of Gambling Enforcement and could safely accept all New Jersey residents and visitors in the web version or a mobile sports betting app.
As the other states legalized online sports betting, too, FanDuel expanded its services respectively. Today, it is available in twelve states in different versions and holds a gambling license for each.
When you deal with a licensed site like FanDuel, you can be sure about the security level: the developers took care of all safety measures like HTTP protocols and modern certificates.
FanDuel Legality
Obviously, FanDuel is legal, so that you won’t get into any trouble with it. Although offshore bookies are also not under a strict ban, betting at the officially approved platforms is safer, and it is one of the major advantages of this sportsbook.
Home page
Still, it doesn’t mean you have access to gambling entertainment of all sorts at states that approved FanDuel: In some regions, you can only opt for a fantasy sports platform and an online betting site, while in others, you will see an additional Casino tab at the Fanduel website. Let’s look at what the restrictions are and how you can use FanDuel in different states.
In which states is FanDuel online sportsbook available?
So far, FanDuel has opened its doors in the following states:
- New Jersey: daily fantasy sports, sportsbook, and online casino;
- Michigan: daily fantasy sports, sportsbook, and online casino;
- Pennsylvania: daily fantasy sports, sportsbook, and online casino;
- West Virginia: daily fantasy sports, sportsbook, and online casino;
- Arizona: daily fantasy sports and sportsbook;
- Colorado: daily fantasy sports and sportsbook;
- Connecticut: daily fantasy sports and sportsbook;
- Illinois: daily fantasy sports and online sportsbook;
- Indiana: daily fantasy sports and online sportsbook;
- Iowa: daily fantasy sports and online sportsbook;
- Tennessee: daily fantasy sports and online sportsbook;
- Virginia: daily fantasy sports and online sportsbook.
It doesn’t mean you need to be a resident of the mentioned states. So, you live in New York and come to New Jersey for a vacation. Nothing can prevent you from using it as a chance to spin some slots. The only thing that matters is your physical location, not your residential status.
Besides, you can walk in retail betting shops in most states: check out the closest one using the map at the FanDuel site.
User Experience
FanDuel is a minimalistic and user-friendly platform: it does not offer you anything extraordinary in terms of design, but does it really matter for a sports bettor, after all? What is really important is to have intuitive navigation, and FanDuel perfectly managed to organize one, using the classical layout of an American sportsbook.
Verification tips are available in the help center
With all basic tabs and hot offers on visible places, it’s very hard to get lost at the website, even if you are a rookie bettor and FanDuel is your first online sportsbook ever. The registration procedure is very quick: you must create a username, indicate your contact information, passport details, and that’s about it. FanDuel verifies accounts quickly and works most of the time smoothly.
Deposit and Withdrawals
FanDuel offers all kinds of standard payment options, so you won’t find anything new here if you have used some US online sportsbooks before. Here is how you can top up your FanDuel account and withdraw funds:
- Visa/Mastercard credit and debit cards (deposits only);
- PayPal;
- Prepaid Card;
- E-Check;
- PayNearMe;
- Venmo;
- Online Banking.
All deposits are instant, while withdrawals take up to 48 hours. Most of this time, you are waiting until FanDuel approves your payout request: the managers need to check if you are eligible to withdraw the selected amount, that you verified your identity, and did not violate any rules. The only method that may take up to 5 working days is online banking: the withdrawal speed may depend on your bank and its policies.
You will see all available methods at the Cashier tab at your FanDuel account: some of them may be absent in particular states. Besides, you can issue a special prepaid card that will work as a standard bank card with ATM withdrawals and online purchases. The card is called FanDuel and Stardust Prepaid Play+.
Fees and Limits
FanDuel does not charge users for deposits and withdrawals: all of them are free of charge, but there might be an additional fee from the payment provider. For instance, if you withdraw using online banking, you don’t need to pay anything extra to FanDuel, but your bank may charge an extra 3-5% or some fixed amount.
| Payment method | Commission fee | Minimum deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Visa/Mastercard credit and debit cards | – | $10 |
| PayPal | – | $10 |
| Prepaid Card | – | $10 |
| E-Check | – | $10 |
| PayNearMe | – | $10 |
| Venmo | – | $10 |
| Online Banking | – | $10 |
Mobile App Experience
FanDuel is mainly about mobile betting, so if you are in the right state, you won’t have any issues with getting a FanDuel app from the App Store or Google Play. The app might seem even more convenient than the web version: mirroring all the main website’s services and features, it has a simplified design perfectly adapted for smaller screens.
Please, mind that if you want to have all FanDuel gambling activities on hand, you must download two apps: the FanDuel sportsbook app with casino games and another one dedicated exclusively to daily fantasy sports. Both apps are available in several languages: English, Danish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.
Mobile apps
FanDuel Customer Support
Before we ever contacted the FanDuel customer service team, we found a large comprehensive support section that contains tons of useful information. You can search articles and guides by keywords, and 99 out of 100 will find what you are looking for: location restrictions info to betting rules and responsible gambling policies.
Still, you might need to speak to an agent, too. In this case, you can opt for a live chat or email form: both operate 24/7, but the email support might have delays of up to 12 hours which makes the live chat the only way to contact urgently.
We spoke to the customer support representatives to see how quick, helpful, and polite they were and were pleased to receive a professional reply within a couple of minutes.
We didn’t want to spoil our impression but needed to read the other customers’ reviews to stay unbiased. We found out that most sports bettors and casino players are satisfied with the service, but a few comments include complaints about replies taking up to five days and non-working live chats. It prevented us from giving the Fanduel customer service a 5-star ranking, and of course, made us more skeptical about it.
FanDuel online sportsbook basics
FanDuel is a traditional US sportsbook: it was made exclusively for Americans and didn’t include anything non-classical like some Asian betting markets, alternative layouts, or less popular sports. No, FanDuel is focused on the top popular leagues and other sports that you will encounter at any random European or British bookie. However, we don’t mean it’s somewhat bad: if FanDuel successfully reaches its target audience, then it might be a very decent place for avid sports bettors from the USA. In the next several paragraphs, we will reveal if it is true.
Fanduel sportsbook
FanDuel Sportsbook Markets Available
The first thing that catches an eye is the list of the top popular leagues: they are located on the top of the sportsbook’s main page.
These leagues are the NFL, NCAAB, NHL, EPL, MLS, NBA, and NCAAF, and the final thing on this list is the Boosts: special enhanced odds for selected sports markets.
It gives us an instant hint that the most lucrative offers are available for the events within particular leagues, but is there anything else?
On the left, you will find the full list of sports disciplines: tennis, table tennis, horse racing, golf, soccer (besides the EPL), motorsports, MMA, and other sports that typically attract US bettors. The offer embraces many countries and international leagues. For instance, you can wager on the UFC and Bellator fights when you choose MMA betting or find odds for European, Asian, Latin American, and Russian tournaments if you opt to place a bet on soccer. It is pretty nice for a truly US online sportsbook, but let’s consider the coverage in terms of the available betting options, too: it will give us a fuller image.
Available types of bets
We’ll start with the NFL: we suppose that the Fanduel sportsbook offers the best possible coverage for this league. After selecting a random match within the regular NFL season, we found out that Fanduel has much more than a mediocre sports betting site: the match coupon is definitely not the standard one.
Besides more or less typical money lines, spread bets, and totals for the full time, halves, and quarters, you can opt for the various player and game props and select from the pre-arranged same game parlays. Let’s just give you an example of an average NFL betting line at Fanduel:
- 1st/2nd Half, 1st/2nd/3rd/4th Quarter: Total Points, Winner, Spread, Home/Away Total Points, Last Score of the Half/Quarter, Total Touchdowns;
- Scoring: Team to Score First, Team to Score Last, First Scoring Play, To Score First and Lose, Race to 5-30, Total Touchdowns Scored, Both Teams to Score, Team to Have the 1st Field Goal, Highest Scoring Half/Quarter, To Score Every Quarter, and more;
- Alternate Spread Points and Total Points: you can buy and sell points for spread and total markets with the odds change;
- Same Game Parlay: an option allowing you to combine all the mentioned bets in a parlay;
- Parlays: ready combinations with the other games.
Looks impressive. Keeping in mind odds boosts that you can get for some top popular markets and knowing the coverage remains the same in-depth for the other three major US leagues and soccer matches, too, we can claim that FanDuel is one of the most exciting legal sports betting sites in the United States.
Available betting markets
A few words about the odds: they vary depending on the market, like at any other sportsbook, but remain pretty competitive. The margin varies from 4,5% to 6% when it comes to the most popular bets on top leagues and can reach 8%-9% in tennis, MMA, or golf markets.
FanDuel Sportsbook Live/In-Play Betting
The selection of live events is not as extensive as the one in the pre-match section: you won’t find more than fifty games daily, and the coverage mainly involves top tennis, football, soccer, and table tennis matchups. However, you can come across some local events, such as a live Bulgarian soccer league match or a Turkish TBSL game.
The number of betting options is a bit limited but still decent: it has last-minute bets for quarters and halves or sets and games for tennis matches and may involve several props.
Cash Out and live streaming are available, but not for all events.
FanDuel Sportsbook Live Streaming
While you can’t watch live streams of all the events that go live, the ones that are broadcasted at FanDuel are good: the stream quality is high, but the video doesn’t slow down the site’s work. The schedule of the streamed events involves various eSports matches, soccer, football, basketball, and ice hockey games and are available for free to everyone who has a positive deposit or made a bet on a selected event.
FanDuel Sportsbook Bonuses
We didn’t feel like a kid in a candy store when we entered the Promotions section of FanDuel: it barely offers much more than a standard welcome bonus and some special casino offers. To make a long story short, let’s look at all available offers:
- Risk-Free Bet, Sports Welcome Bonus create a FanDuel account and place your first wager. If it loses, FanDuel will refund your stake amount of up to $1,000;
- Over/Under Game: make the correct predictions about the Total score in the selected matches to win a $5,000 prize.
Latest Bonuses
FanDuel Online Casino Review
We hope you remember FanDuel operates as a casino in only four states, but if you ever visit them or are lucky to be their residents, you will become eligible to choose from about a thousand various casino entertainment. FanDuel has it all: from the simplest slot machines to high-quality live dealer games and exclusive innovative card and table options.
FanDuel casino works with multiple top-tier providers, which allows to regularly update the library and always stay up-to-date and offer the latest releases along with the famous and classical titles. You can find NetEnt, IGT, Play N Go, Big Time Gaming games, to name just a few providers, so don’t doubt that all games are well-worked and fair.
Casino section
What made us even happier about the FanDuel casino is the search tab: you can easily find all games by their titles or sort them in alphabetical order. All titles are separated into several categories:
- Slots;
- Blackjack;
- Roulette;
- Live Casino;
- New Games;
- Tables;
- Jackpots.
Let’s take a look at the top popular categories that people tend to choose most of all: card games like poker and blackjack, and slots, including jackpot options.
Available Card Games
Although blackjack and video poker are usually the most demanded gaming options in every online casino, FanDuel does not spoil card players with many titles. Still, you can find something not very typical, for instance, Zappit Blackjack or Blackjack Poker and Pairs. The overall selection of blackjack includes only seven games, so that it might be a perfect choice for beginners. Besides games, you will find detailed instructions and basic strategies right on the library’s page.
There were more options for poker: Five Play Draw, Classical Hold ’em, Let It Ride, and a couple of other games are available under the Tables tab.
Finally, you can play Baccarat, or don’t stick to card games and opt for, say, Craps.
Slots at FanDuel
Jackpots are usually the most lucrative slot options for gamblers, so we’ll start with them: the Jackpots tab hides eight options, including Mercy of the Gods, Candy Bars, Lightning Leopard, Endless Treasure, Wheel of Fortune, and other games with massive pools and engaging designs.
Besides, FanDuel holds a small collection of Megaways slots and definitely the hottest games like Netent’s Starburst or Bonanza. In fact, the best of this portfolio comes from Netent, but the other good games powered by other developers are here as well.
If you are not sure what to choose, look at the table below: we gathered the best games recommended by FanDuel to help you.
| Slot | Provider | Paylines |
|---|---|---|
| Narcos | NetEnt | 243 |
| Bonanza Megaways | Big Time Gaming | 50 |
| Starburst | NetEnt | 10 |
| Jumanji | NetEnt | 36 |
| Dead or Alive | NetEnt | 9 |
Casino Bonuses at FanDuel
FanDuel casino has more promotions than we saw in the sportsbook, although the overall bonus program doesn’t involve too many offers. Here is what you can get:
- Welcome Bonus: Risk-Free Bet of up to $1,000. FanDuel refunds you the net losses for the first 24 hours in the casino;
- Referral Program: if you share your referral link with a friend, both of you will get $100: $50 for casino games and $50 for sports;
- Game of the Week: opt-in for the promotion and spend at least $50 on the selected game; you will receive an instant free-play bonus of $5;
- VIP Slot Program: play slots and receive one comp point for every $250 you spend. Points can be exchanged for real money.
Conclusion
FanDuel is obviously a good sports betting site, and if you can use its casino, too, we also recommend it. What made us be so sure about this sportsbook? First, it is legal and approved by the US gambling authorities, making it secure for bettors. Another good thing about FanDuel is its selection of markets for the most popular sports and a comparatively large casino with all sets of traditional games included in its library.
It might not be the best place for sports bettors who prefer more niche sports than soccer, football, basketball, etc., or those keen on live betting. Still, the number of services and promotions is more than enough for recreational punters, who gamble for fun and put their safety and customer experience in the first place.
FAQ
FanDuel pays out to everyone who wins: it is not a scam website, so you can be sure to get your winnings if you wager according to the FanDuel policies. There are betting and winning limits to mind, but you won’t have any issues if you don’t exceed them. Still, FanDuel doesn’t guarantee you will win anything: gambling is always a risk.
FanDuel offers the following withdrawal options: PayPal, Prepaid Card, Check, Venmo, and Online Banking. Typically, you receive your payout no later than 48 hours after you have requested it.
FanDuel has a reputation as a reliable sports betting site, a daily fantasy operator, and an online casino platform that pays out in all cases unless a bettor violates any rules: for instance, placed bets from the restricted territory, indicated fake data during the registration, etc.
DraftKings and FanDuel are similar: they both have a superior daily fantasy sports offer and online and retail sportsbooks in the USA. Still, they both have their own pros and cons, so choosing one mainly depends on your taste. For instance, FanDuel offers more special betting services and unusual wagers, while DraftKings offers casino and sports betting services in more states.
Last updated on 25 Mar 2023 - 16:22
