Updated Sept. 26, 2024
"Daily fantasy sports" can mean a lot of different things these days, and every month, it feels like another state is calling its legality into question. So tracking its legality and operations can be a bit difficult. We've tried to sum it up in a handy map below with all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. DFS is also legal in every Canadian province but Ontario.
When we say DFS, we're talking about two distinct types. Some states allow both types, some only one type, and some neither:
- Traditional and peer-to-peer DFS contests, like DraftKings or FanDuel's salary cap contests in which you pick a lineup and enter it into contests against other users and the house takes a cut.
- "Pick'em" style contests like PrizePicks and Underdog Pick'em, in which you're picking player stats and putting up money against the house, not other users.
With DFS, there are also questions about how pick'em sites operate — if it's explicitly legal, or if it's more of a grey area. Some operators have chosen to exit certain states — PrizePicks has pulled its paid contests from Colorado, New York and Michigan over the last few years. In Florida, both platforms pulled their pick'em contests but are now offering "peer-to-peer" contests that look much more like pick'em than traditional salary cap DFS.
We've bucketed DFS legality by state into four types.
- Green: Traditional/P2P DFS and pick'em contests operate
- Yellow: Traditional/P2P DFS, but no pick'em
- Purple: Both types operate, but lawmakers are starting to call pick'em contests into question
- Red: Neither traditional DFS or pick'em contests operate
United States DFS/Pick'em Legal Map
Canada DFS/Pick'em Map
Pick'em sites operate in all Canadian provinces besides Ontario.
Where Do DFS Sites Operate?
| State | Traditional DFS | Pick'em |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes | No |
| Alaska | Yes | Yes |
| Arizona | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas | Yes | Yes |
| California | Yes | Yes |
| Colorado | Yes | Modified |
| Connecticut | Yes | No |
| Delaware | Yes | No |
| D.C. | Yes | Yes |
| Florida | Yes | No |
| Georgia | Yes | Yes |
| Hawaii | No | No |
| Idaho | No | No |
| Illinois | Yes | Yes |
| Indiana | Yes | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | No |
| Kansas | Yes | Yes |
| Kentucky | Yes | Yes |
| Louisiana | Yes | No |
| Maine | Yes | No |
| Maryland | Yes | No |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Yes |
| Michigan | Yes | No |
| Minnesota | Yes | Yes |
| Mississippi | Yes | No |
| Missouri | Yes | No |
| Montana | No | No |
| Nebraska | Yes | Yes |
| Nevada | No | No |
| New Hampshire | Yes | No |
| New Jersey | Yes | No |
| New Mexico | Yes | Yes |
| New York | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | Yes |
| North Dakota | Yes | Yes |
| Ohio | Yes | No |
| Oklahoma | Yes | Yes |
| Oregon | Yes | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | No |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Yes |
| South Carolina | Yes | Yes |
| South Dakota | Yes | Yes |
| Tennessee | Yes | No |
| Texas | Yes | Yes |
| Utah | Yes | Yes |
| Vermont | Yes | Yes |
| Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Washington | No | No |
| West Virginia | Yes | No |
| Wisconsin | Yes | Yes |
| Wyoming | Yes | Yes |
Key Recent Updates
October 2024: Underdog pick'em has been approved in Colorado; it had been using a modified version of pick'em prior.
April 2024: Underdog has relaunched in Florida with its "Champions" game, a peer-to-peer DFS contest that looks much more like pick'em than traditional, salary cap DFS.
Champions is now live in Florida!
To celebrate our Player vs Player game launching in FL, our Sitewide Sunshine Special is now LIVE ☀️
Choose 1 of 4 options in-app! All available until their respective game times. pic.twitter.com/j1RuJmO8Fo
— Underdog Picks (@UnderdogPicks) April 22, 2024
February 2024: PrizePicks announced after the Super Bowl it would pull its paid contests from New York, while PrizePicks and Underdog both pulled out of Florida after regulator pressure. Underdog still remains in New York since the key issue for NY isn't whether or not pick'em games should be legal; instead, they requested PrizePicks pull out because they were operating without a DFS license. Smaller DFS sites like Sleeper left NY in October.
Around the same time, Arkansas and Kansas both asked operators including PrizePicks and Underdog to stop operating in their states.
January 2024: Two bills that would legalize DFS in Florida have moved through the chamber’s committee on regulated industries, the first step to regulating DFS and pick'em sites in FL. The state had issued cease and desist letters to PrizePicks and Underdog in September. This would force DFS sites to be regulated in Florida and only offer contests to 21+ year-olds.
November 2023: The Michigan Gaming Control Board updated its regulations and banned DFS pick'em games, including PrizePicks, which forced the operator to only offer free contests in the Great Lake State. Underdog had not operated in Michigan.
September 2023: Florida issued cease and desists to PrizePicks and Underdog, though the sites did not stop operating in the Sunshine State.
August 2023: Underdog updated its games in Colorado to appease regulators. They still offer paid contests (PrizePicks does not in CO) but the only player stats available are fantasy scores, and you must choose at least four players.