DraftKings Fantasy Review for May 2025

DraftKings Daily Fantasy: What You Need to Know

Sports fans have likely heard about DraftKings through ads if they’ve watched any sporting event in the country over the past decade, but hearing and knowing about something are two very different things.

So if you’re someone who’s only ever heard about them, why not take a few minutes to learn about them as well?

It’s arguably one of the best DFS sites in the country today, with plenty to offer players of all experience levels interested in playing daily fantasy sports.

Here are the basic details about the DraftKings daily fantasy platform:

Are You in a Legal DraftKings Fantasy State?

Most Americans of legal gaming age (21+) will likely find the DraftKings DFS platform, as it’s legal in 44 states. The entire eastern half and most of the Midwest are DK-accessible, with the restricted states all being in the northwest part of the country.

Unfortunately, that means that residents of Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington cannot experience all the DFS action on the DraftKings platform. This also applies to residents of Puerto Rico.

Everywhere else is good, though, as here is the list of US states where DraftKings Fantasy Sports is currently live:

• Alabama
• Alaskas
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia (D.C.)
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Knetucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massaschussetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

How Does DraftKings Fantasy Work?

DraftKings Fantasy works as a daily fantasy sports platform where players draft virtual teams of real-life athletes and get fantasy points based on those athletes’ production in their games. The highest fantasy point score wins.

These DFS contests are available in a wide variety of sports, with players picking their desired sport/contest from a general lobby. The lobby is where sport, contest type, entry fees, and field size are listed for players to decide on when choosing contests to enter.

Once a contest is chosen, players must draft their virtual team of athletes either through salary cap or tier-based structures (most often).

No matter what contest structure a DFS player specifically decides on, in the end, daily fantasy sports is about a player betting an entry fee to draft a fantasy team, and hoping that squad lights up the scoreboard all night.

How to Sign Up at DraftKings Fantasy

New players interested in signing up for a DraftKings Fantasy account will be happy to know that the entire registration process can be completed quickly. You can go right from reading this review to building your DFS squads in a matter of minutes.

So, sit back and let us walk you through the process:

Step 1: Follow our Links

Nobody can sign up for anything without being on the platform’s homepage first. That’s done by clicking on any of the DraftKings links we’ve got scattered throughout this review.

Mobile users can use this link to head right to the DK Fantasy mobile app of their choice.

Step 2: Download the DraftKings Fantasy App or Visit the Website

Whether it’s the mobile or desktop variety, the next step is to download the app and/or click on the “Sign Up” tab. This begins the step-by-step process of creating your account.

Players will then be asked to fill in personal information that is required by the site to ultimately confirm a player’s identity and eligibility.

Step 3: Enter Your Email Address & Full Name

New players must have personal information like name, age, and email address at the ready. This information is required to prove that the player is of lawful age and living in a state that legally offers DraftKings DFS.

An email address is needed for communication purposes, whether a player wants to discuss issues/concerns with the support staff or share documents to confirm and verify their identity.

Step 4: Enter the DraftKings Fantasy Promo Code

In the required area, input the DraftKings Fantasy promo code to score the welcome offer. It’s essential to keep in mind that promo codes change regularly. The promo code “SAVE” is needed at the time of this writing, but that might not always be the case.

Step 5: Verify Your Identity

Verifying your identity is what comes next, as DraftKings will send you a verification message to the email address you previously provided. As long as all the information is correct, you can activate the link sent in that email to verify you are who you say you are.

Step 6: Make a Deposit & Start Playing

Once the verification has gone through, there is nothing left to do but get excited about the DFS opportunities. Your account is now created, and you can use your DraftKings Fantasy login to sign into the platform, make a deposit, and start playing.

DraftKings Fantasy Promo Code Sign Up Bonus: Deposit $5 to Get a Free $3 Contest Ticket

New players to the DraftKings Fantasy platform can use the promo code SAVE to take advantage of a sign-up offer that grants a $3 contest entry ticket for any sport.

It’s not a sign-up offer that jumps off the page by any means, but a free contest ticket gives you at least one freeroll at claiming a share of millions in prizes in a sport of your choice. If you know a sport as well as you believe you do, there is tremendous potential there.

It’s also a new player bonus that doesn’t require much initial investment from a user to obtain the max value. Consistently winning in DFS won’t happen overnight. If you’re new to daily fantasy, we suggest easing into it from a financial investment standpoint, and this bonus helps you do just that.

How to Claim the DraftKings Fantasy Sign-Up Bonus

It’s not hard for new users to claim the DraftKings Fantasy sign-up bonus, available to all newbies upon joining.

Here’s how:

• Click any of our DK links on this page
• Click on the “Sign-Up” embedded link to begin the registration process
• Complete the registration process by sharing all the necessary personal information
• Claim any bonus codes related to joining – in this case, fill in SAVE when prompted
• Complete the account verification process through email
• With verification complete, log in to DraftKings with your new login credentials
• Deposit at least $5 with your preferred banking method
• Head back out to the main lobby and check your rewards for your free $3 ticket

Using DraftKings Fantasy Promo Codes

Promo codes are not something DraftKings Fantasy uses for all of the offers and promos they produce, but they are required for some, like the new player sign-up bonus. Various other promotions will require players to activate promo codes, and thankfully, it’s always a straightforward process.

Any time a promo code is available or attached to some type of offer, DraftKings software will always provide the necessary prompts allowing the player to share the code. There is no hunting through one’s account page looking for that “claim promo” page that’s generally hidden in the shadows.

DraftKings Fantasy Promo Codes & Entry Bonuses

Sign-up bonuses aren’t the only promos players can take advantage of on the DraftKings Fantasy platform. They’ve got plenty of daily, weekly, and sport-specific offers available to players all the time.

It’s important to know that some of these offers will require you to use a DraftKings Fantasy promo code. Always follow the prompts to activate the code in these offers, and you’ll be fine.

Other great offers typically include ways to earn extra contest entries or DK Dollars.

A Draft One, Get One promo is a highly popular offer tied to specific sports leagues (NFL, NBA) where a player can draft one team to enter in one contest and will get a second entry for free. Not a bad way to maximize opportunity on a big slate of games on an NFL Sunday.

Furthermore, a generous Refer-a-Friend program changes up the rewards often, but players will typically consistently earn DK Dollars and at least one contest entry ticket. Currently, every friend referral nets a player $20 DK dollars + a $20 NFL Best Ball ticket.

Overall, it’s a bonus and promotional program that offers tremendous opportunities to DFS players of all interests and bankroll sizes.

What are the DraftKings Fantasy Contest Entry Types?

DFS players new to the DraftKings Fantasy platform can check out all 16 contest types available. From traditional tournament-style contests to live game contests known as Flash Draft, DK Fantasy has it all.

Here are all 16 contest types, followed by a deep dive on three of our favorites:

• 50/50
• Satellites and Qualifiers
• Beginner Contests
• Friends Only – private, invitation-only leagues
• Single Stat
• Casual
• Head-to-Head
• In-game showdowns
• Tournament
• Best Ball
• Flash Draft
• Single-game showdown
• Leagues
• Tiers
• Snake Draft
• Free-to-play Pools

Beginner Contests/Casual

DraftKings Fantasy does a great job of giving all newbies a more level playing field and a better chance of success by having their Beginner and Casual contests.

This is done thanks to the use of an Experience Badge system player rating system that sees players earn badges signifying various experience levels. Anyone with an Experience Badge is automatically ineligible for Beginner or Casual contests.

Beginner contests are low-cost private contests for new players who’ve yet to enter 50+ contests and/or received an Experience Badge. Casual contests are for players who’ve entered 50+ contests but have yet to earn an Experience Badge.

That kind of system keeps new faces competing against new faces, all learning the intricacies of DFS betting and strategy at the same time. Maybe more importantly, not getting whalloped by seasoned DFS veterans in the process.

Having these types of “newbie contests” is a great way to grow interest in DFS, all while protecting the financial interests of beginning players while they learn the ropes, so to speak. A huge positive about the DK Fantasy platform overall.

Single-Game Showdown

There might not be a better DFS contest format for the quick-fix of daily fantasy action than the single-game showdown format. This is where players draft their DFS team from the two teams competing in a single game. It exists under various formats, too, like tournament and head-to-head styles.

Aside from all the great prize formats available, a single-game showdown DFS contest is just great for DFS bettors from all walks of life.

Have kids running around and don’t have time to handicap and create DFS team for a full 15-game slate of MLB? No problem, focus on the primetime showdown that you can focus on after they go to bed.

Find one NHL game where you love an ‘over’ bet on total goals and envision numerous players from both sides lighting up the box score? Simply load up on those DFS players from that game and play that hunch over others thinking the same way.

Life gets in the way for so many DFS players to properly put in the time and research for full slate DFS contests, and that’s not an issue with the single-game showdown format. It’s what makes it one of our favorite formats at DraftKings Fantasy.

Tiers

Structuring a DFS lineup within the salary cap is a highly stressful proposition for players new to the DFS scene. Understanding DFS roster construction concepts like “Stars and Scrubs” or a more balanced approach for salary cap-based contests takes plenty of learning by doing.

A tier-based contest eliminates all of those stressful salary cap decisions a DFS player has to make and simply asks them to choose a player from pre-constructed player groups. The DFS team is then made up of the players chosen from each tier group.

Tiers are another format that is very beginner-friendly. There are no salary cap concerns, nor are there concerns about a team full of sleepers going off and beating you. All DFS teams are constructed from the same player pool that was split up into the tiered groups from which players were picked.

It is a highly appealing DFS contest method for players in a variety of ways. It gives those only interested in watching/tracking the sport’s top stars the opportunity to construct the quality team they are interested in tracking.

It is also attractive to DFS players who aren’t interested in or don’t have the time to find the “sleeper” picks needed to score the bigger prizes in a traditional salary cap tournament format.

Another all-around positive for us at OneFootball.

DraftKings Payment Methods

Deposits and withdrawals are available through multiple options at DraftKings Daily Fantasy, including all the most popular online banking methods. From multiple credit card options to a handful of e-wallets, there is a familiar online payment option available.

Here are the deposit and withdrawal methods available at DraftKings Daily Fantasy:

Deposits:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• American Express
• Discover card
• Play+ Prepaid
• Venmo
• PayPal
• Apple Pay
• Online bank transfers
• “Cash at the Casino Cage” – physical money deposit at any DK retail casino or sportsbook resort

Withdrawals:

• Online bank transfers
• PayPal
• Apple Pay
• “Cash at the Casino Cage” – physical money withdrawal at any DK retail casino or sportsbook resort

Making a Deposit at DraftKings

Once a player has chosen their preferred banking method, the next step is to deposit into DraftKings to start playing. Thankfully, the deposit process is done in moments, with funds instantly available upon completion.

Here’s how:

1. Click the “Deposit” button at the top of the home screen
2. Choose your desired payment method
3. Enter the amount of funds you are depositing into your DK Fantasy account
4. Wait for the deposit process to finish (in seconds)
5. Refresh the page to see your account balance now updated
6. Scroll through the contests lobby and start drafting your DFS squads!

Making a Withdrawal at DraftKings

The withdrawal process at DK Fantasy operates just as smoothly, although the money isn’t transferred as fast. Processing times do vary depending on the banking method chosen for withdrawals. Typically, a player must first deposit through a banking method before being able to use it for withdrawals.

That’s something to keep in mind as we go through the withdrawal process now:

1. Go to the Player Account page
2. Choose the banking method to be used for the withdrawal
3. Choose the amount of funds to withdraw from your DK account
4. Click “Withdraw” to formally request the withdrawal and get the confirmation process started

Why Should You Play Daily Fantasy at DraftKings?

As an industry leader and innovator, there are a lot of reasons to play daily fantasy sports at DraftKings. If getting involved in DFS is your objective, you can’t go wrong using the DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports platform.

It’s a platform that does an extraordinary job catering offerings to new and inexperienced players, while not sacrificing the value and rewards that high-rolling, heavily-experienced DFS players are after.

DraftKings Fantasy offers something for sports fans, no matter your DFS level. Below, we’ll get into some of the best reasons for choosing DK.

Beginner-Focused Contest Offerings

The importance of the Beginner and Casual contests discussed in-depth earlier in this review just can’t be stressed enough. To set aside specific contests for new players still learning the DFS game and/or the platform makes it a much more level playing field.

Nothing kills new interest in a sport or gaming platform quicker than new players always losing and having that initial bankroll slowly bleed dry. With DFS being a skill game, experience plays a big part in a player’s success level.

Experienced players will always enter contests with an edge over newbies, but having these beginner-focused contests eliminates that negative variable for beginners. It creates more winning moments for these new DFSers everywhere.

Extensive 50/50 and Head-to-Head Contest Offerings

Finding early success in initial DFS contests can be a tad difficult for new players. Yes, everyone dreams of winning that $3 million NFL GPP on Sunday, but the best way to find early DFS success is to drastically limit the field size.

Head-to-head and 50/50’s are two great contest styles that can bring early and consistent success in the DFS world, and DK Fantasy has some of the best offerings anywhere in those styles.

These small-field contests are available from micro-to-high-roller buy-in levels and are found on most, if not all, sports offered on the platform. They are another great avenue for players of all experience levels to learn and find success in DFS.

Sheer Number of Sports Involved

Having multiple sports leagues available across a range of 14 different sports is yet another reason to get behind the DK Fantasy platform. The brand is truly tough to beat in that regard.

Who else is going to have the same extensive DFS esports and F1 contests menus that DraftKings Fantasy does? Not many!

Add in numerous leagues like the WNBA that aren’t always covered on DFS platforms, and sports fans of all interests will find a daily fantasy contest they’ll be interested in entering at DK.

What’s the Game Selection Like at DraftKings Fantasy?

Game variance is always a big part of a successful DFS platform since most players love variety in contest format and style. DraftKings Fantasy is among the industry leaders in game types available on its platform, giving away six and seven-figure sums in its Guaranteed Prize Pool (GPP) events.

That type of contest play is just one of the many gaming variants available to players at DraftKings Fantasy. Here’s a look at that and all the others:

• Guaranteed Prize Pool (GPP) – a tournament-style contest where a single entry from a player gives them a shot at a share of a set-in-advance prize pool.
• 50/50 – DFS lineups that finish in the top half of the field win a cash prize, regardless of the number of entries. All winning lineups receive the same prize money, doubling the buy-in amount.
• Head-to-Head – a one-on-one DFS battle between two players. The entire entry prize pool goes to the eventual winner.
• Steps/Qualifiers – DFS contests where the reward is not monetary, but rather tickets and entry fees to other larger DFS contests.
• Pools – tier-based structure where bettors pick one player from a pre-structured group of players multiple times to create their DFS roster.
• Leagues – season-long fantasy contests that players can either join or create on their own. Payout approaches are determined by the league creator in either a winner-take-all approach or a podium-style finish, with the top 3-5 DFS players earning prizes.

What Sports & Leagues Does DraftKings Fantasy Offer?

DFS players of all sporting interests will find plenty of enticing contest options available to them at DraftKings, with the platform covering 14 different sports. DraftKings Fantasy football and DraftKings Fantasy golf contests generate most of the interest, but there are just so many other sports to choose from for DFS events on the DK platform.

It’s not hard for fantasy players to understand that NFL DFS at DraftKings is generally considered king, but there are dedicated contests with multiple entry fee levels on more niche sports like UFC, NASCAR, F1, and even esports.

The other major North American leagues, like the NHL, NBA, MLS, and MLB, are also covered. The summer months are a popular time for large-prize MLB DFS DraftKings contests on the platform, too. DK ups the ante with baseball events during those summer months, when most other sports leagues are on hiatus.

Overall, it is a DFS site that has all the major sporting interests in the country covered from top to bottom.

Here’s the list of sports available on DraftKings Fantasy:

• Football (NFL, CFL, NCAAF)
• Baseball (MLB)
• Basketball (NBA, NCAAB)
• Soccer
• Golf
• Hockey (NHL)
• UFC
• NASCAR
• Esports – with a dedicated League of Legends offering
• Tennis
• F1

All About the DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports App

Mobile gaming consumption is through the roof these days and is only projected to increase in the coming years. Providing players with a quality mobile app is a must for any online gaming brand.

Thankfully, the DraftKings fantasy app is of the highest quality, as there is no drop-off at all in the experience of playing DraftKings Daily Fantasy with a mobile device.

It’s got a smooth user interface for iOS and Android users, and site navigation is a breeze thanks to the various filtering options players can use to isolate desired contests.

Let’s get to a few more specifics on the DraftKings Fantasy app for iOS and Android.

iOS

Mobile iOS users have done nothing but rave about the DraftKings Fantasy app, with a 4.9 rating on over 500k reviews on the Apple App Store. This makes perfect sense as it is one of the best DFS apps in the overall industry these days.

Some of the better features include one-touch buttons for players to find specific sports and leagues quickly and a personalized feed with notifications keeping players informed about upcoming promos and contests.

But the fact that all the same features and functionality of the desktop site are still there in the mobile version is the main reason behind the lofty Apple App Store rating. There is no level of service lost at all, as things like promo redemption and deposits are done just as easily through an iOS device.

Android

All the same glowing words apply to the Android version of the DraftKings Fantasy mobile app. Its 4.7 rating on the Google Play Store is just as high.

Android users can enjoy all the same benefits, promos, and DFS experiences that iOS mobile users can, which is the same as on desktop. It is such a huge benefit to the player to know they’ve got the full version of DK DFS, no matter what device they prefer.

A few Android users were slightly more negative about the product, stating that the mobile app can be overwhelming to DFS newbies. A lot of that is probably due to the smaller nature of the mobile device. Screen size forces things to be smaller.

If mobile gaming is your preference, you can’t go wrong with the Android or iOS version of the DraftKings fantasy app.

DraftKings DFS Additional Information

With most of the gameplay and promotional information about DraftKings DFS already covered, it’s time to outline additional details about the brand that should be important to users.

These are things like licensing, security, and customer support, stuff that won’t come up every time you’re playing at DK fantasy, but are important enough to be keenly aware of.

DraftKings Fantasy Customer Support

With the customer support staff at DraftKings available 24/7 through multiple channels, DFS players can get any potential issue addressed immediately. There aren’t many sites that offer 24/7 support service through phone, email, and live chat like DK Fantasy does.

Throw in thorough Responsible Gaming and Help pages that provide static information and links to other support resources, and it’s nothing but glowing grades from OneFootball for DK Fantasy’s customer support.

Here are the contact avenues:

24/7 phone line: 877-659-6066

24/7 live chat

Email: support@draftkings.com

DraftKings Fantasy License & Security

As a DFS leader since 2012, DraftKings Fantasy has always employed top-tier security measures for its products, and it’s no different today. Comprehensive SSL encryption technology is used on all sensitive data.

From a player security perspective, DK Fantasy is home to plenty of responsible gambling tools, giving players the ability to set spending and deposit limits, and even call a time-out on their play. Yet another player-first initiative from DraftKings that helps keep online gaming safe, fun, and enjoyable.

Finally, DraftKings operates casino and sports betting platforms in numerous states across the country and owns all the required gaming licenses to operate legally in those jurisdictions.

These are gaming licenses from entities like the Illinois Gaming Board, the Ohio Casino Control Commission, and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

DraftKings Company History

Founded in 2012 as a DFS-only platform, DraftKings was one of the first brands to enter the market. It quickly became the most popular daily fantasy spot in the country. Thanks to its innovative nature, DK continues to hold that top spot in the DFS industry.

Competing DFS platforms have arrived in the industry since then, but most still tend to take their cues from the innovative nature DraftKings employs. From the development of new contest styles and/or scoring formats, DraftKings fantasy has been at the forefront of it all.

With legal sports betting becoming available in the USA in 2018, DraftKings has branched out into the casino and sports betting industries since then, and has been highly successful in doing so.

However, DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports platform was still its firstborn, and the company continues to treat it with that type of favor—an approach that always benefits the players at DraftKings Fantasy.

Is DraftKings Fantasy Legit? DraftKings DFS Key Takeaways

As an industry innovator that has helped legitimize the DFS industry in the country for years, DraftKings Fantasy is as legitimate as they come. If you are looking for a safe, secure, legal DFS platform to be a part of, DraftKings Fantasy is always a great choice.

But everyone doesn’t like everything, and for as great as the DK Fantasy platform is overall, there is always room for improvement.

Here are the key takeaways from our time playing DFS at DraftKings.

What’s Great at DraftKings

It would take hours to describe everything that’s innovative and fun about DraftKings Fantasy. From the contest selection and variation, to the existing promotions, players can draft DFS squads after DFS squads without ever getting bored.

They are second to none when it comes to the sports available and the contest variations within those sports. You don’t see many competitors offering 5+ contest styles across the major leagues of 14 sports like DraftKings Fantasy.

DK’s Guaranteed Prize Pool tournaments are some of the most well-known in the DFS community as well, with the bigger GPPs offering larger prize pools than most anywhere else. That’s life-changing money up for grabs nearly every single day.

Who doesn’t want to have a piece of action on that type of platform?

What’s Not So Great at DraftKings

There are so many great things about the DFS play at DraftKings that there isn’t a whole lot to complain about. Sadly, the one negative that does stick out like a sore thumb is the low sign-up offer that doesn’t do anything for mid-to-large bankroll potential players.

Newbies to DFS are still going to want to ease into DraftKings Fantasy from a financial commitment perspective, but money is still all relative. New DFS players can come from all walks of life, and someone who’s already looking to start with a larger deposit isn’t going to get any excitement from the $5 to get a $3 entry initial offer.

A free contest entry is still a free contest entry, but there should be some sort of alternative sign-up bonus offered that caters to more of the high roller crowd.

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Claim the DraftKings Fantasy Promo & Start Playing DFS at DraftKings Fantasy Now!

DraftKings is a phenomenal DFS platform from top to bottom that has contests available to players of all sporting interests, bankroll sizes, and gaming experience.

So what are you waiting for? Click on any of our links to begin your own exciting DraftKings Fantasy experience.