Draftkings Review - $600 Bonus
DraftKings is currently considered one of the big-two fantasy sites around, alongside FanDuel, and we will give you a fair, impartial, factually accurate breakdown of what you can expect to find on the site.
What Is Draftkings All About?
DraftKings is a real-money fantasy gambling site that is set to pay out over $1 billion in 2015 alone, a number that may actually grow going forward, as more people start playing. Of course, it's the lucrative nature of the site that brings so many people, not to mention the love affair many have with fantasy sports today. The site operates by offering daily fantasy leagues, wherein you can draft players and choose a different type of tournament in which to compete, from $1 leagues all the way up to the big $1 million prize. The gist of it all is that you create your account, deposit your funds, and play in any type of available league, for any available sport, and see if you can best the competition in a points-based system. Score more points, win more money. It really is that simple.
Currently, DraftKings has placed a huge emphasis on football, as the NFL season is in full swing right now (mid October, 2015), and thus that sport is their bread and butter. However, DraftKings allows you to play more sports than just football, and you will also have an option to choose from many different leagues and many monetary options. The site is all about fantasy sports. It creates a safe space wherein you can bet these sports and really flex your fantasy muscles, winning serious loot if you have the fantasy chops.
Is Fantasy Sports Legal In The US?
In the majority of American states, fantasy sports are 100% legal. In fact, even in the rare state that has come down hard against fantasy sports, like Utah, the genre is still considered to be a skill-based betting game by the federal government, so you can still sign up with a site like DraftKings even if your state doesn't technically allow for fantasy sports betting.
Now, there is a debate that is currently being waged, on whether or not fantasy sports are skill-based or luck-based like roulette. But for this moment, the services DraftKings offers are 100% legal and legitimate, and even if there were legislation in the works to make fantasy sports illegal, it would take years to get through, and the government would have to square off and fight leagues like the NFL, the NBA, and even television networks and international companies like Disney to win.
Sports Leagues Offered At Draftkings
As stated, NFL football is currently the big "get" at DraftKings, but that is far from the only sport you can play there. DraftKings offers the following sports, and may have more to come:
- The National Football League (NFL)
- Major League Baseball (MLB)
- The National Basketball Association (NBA)
- The National Hockey League (NHL)
- College football, D1 (CFB)
- College basketball, D1 (CBB
- The Professional Golf Association (PGA)
- Major League Soccer, and international leagues (MLS, and more)
- Mixed-Martial Arts (MMA)
- And NASCAR, stock-car racing
With all these sports options, and dozens of league options for each individual sports, you are looking at hundreds upon hundreds of different ways you can play fantasy sports at DraftKings. Whether you're just a rookie wanting to bet a dollar or two, or a high-roller looking to really plant a stake, the site will accommodate you.
How To Start Playing At Draftkings
In this section of the review, we want to run you through a few of the crucial steps necessary to creating an account, funding an account, and selecting the proper league for your skill level and preferred dollar amount.
Step 1: Signup An Account
The first step is naturally to signup a new account. All you need to do is visit Draftkings website and click on the signup button. From there the signup process takes all 30 seconds.
Step 2: Select Your Banking Option
Deposit and withdrawal methods will vary depending on type, depending on state, and depending on action. For instance, one withdrawal method may charge you a fee and take a while, while another may be free and instant. After signing up with an account for DraftKings, using a valid email and following the site's instructions, of course, the very next thing to look at are payment options. Find something that's good for you to use for depositing money and withdrawing your funds.
DraftKings accepts credit cards as a payment option, including MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and AMEX. And rather than the hit-or-miss nature most Americans experience, fantasy being perfectly legal means a 100% acceptance rate with credit cards. Also, PayPal is back in business for betting! This means as long as you have a PayPal account, you can use it to bank with DraftKings. The site also accepts gift cards from major players like Visa, MC and AMEX.
Step 3: Get Your Free Money!
DraftKings is currently offering a 100% deposit match bonus of up to $600. What does this mean, exactly? If you put in $50, the site matches that and you get $100 to play with. Likewise, if you put in $600, you will end up with $1,200 in your account. Just keep in mind, however, that every promo has some stipulations with it. For instance, you cannot simply deposit $50, get a free $50, and then check out with that money. You have to wait as that money is released in increments. Think of it like an annuity with one of those reality show contests. Yes, the winner of America's Got Talent gets a million bucks, just not all at once. So while you're technically getting a 100% deposit match, you won't get it all at once.
Now, you will find some promotions that require a promo code, like the "Fries" promo advertised on television. However, the initial welcome bonus will not require a promo code and will be free to everyone. Though be sure to check out those valid promo codes. If there's more free money on the table to grab, grab it!
Step 4: Check Out the Lobby
As you can probably glean, these steps assume that you have properly signed up with the site and have created your account, selecting a username you're happy with, and that you're ready to start playing. So, assuming those things are true, step three here is to simply go check out the lobby of DraftKings. This is where you're going to find the different sports and the different leagues for which you can sign up. Once entering the "Lobby" tab through your control panel, take a moment to check out the different contests available to you. You can filter out things you want or don't want, and you can see weekly and daily contests, and even head-to-head match-ups, and more.
Step 5: Figure Out the Contest You Want
Now it's time to select your preferred contest. You will see contests like the $1 Guaranteed, wherein the top prize is 100k. You will see ongoing contests like the 4 Months, 4 Millionaires contest. And you can even find things like the PGA $3.3 Millionaire Maker PGA Championship contest. If you're interested in a contest, click on the box and read about all the relevant details. Then you can sign up or leave it and find another. You will see how much it costs to join, and what you have to do after signing up. One thing to remember: A guaranteed pool will start regardless of how many enter, as it is guaranteed, whereas all other contests will require X number of participants before it starts.
Step 6: Entering Your Draft
As soon as you have officially signed up for a contest, you are immediately taken to a draft page where you get to pick your roster. Not every player will be available in the entire league, depending on the contest, and you will not necessarily be picking with other draft owners but rather by yourself. It all depends on the rules of the particular contest. If we listed these for you, you could expect a full 1,000-word article for every contest. So your best option is to read the rules specific to the contest you're thinking of entering. Then, draft a team based on the stats you research so that you get point-scoring players that give you a real shot to win.
To loyal readers of our resource site, we realize that this review format is unorthodox, but so too is the entire genre of fantasy sports. Because of the general makeup of the genre, and how you get to go through and select your own contests and line-ups, we felt it better to present to you a steps-based breakdown rather than a site-based breakdown.
Our DraftKings Conclusion
Our verdict on the DraftKings site? Overall, it comes across as very legitimate. It has many good things going for it, including:
- A very solid reputation with its base
- A lot of sports and contests to choose from
- A wide range of monetary options for any budget
- Guaranteed prize pools that are lucrative
- Bonuses and promos that give away free money to play with
- It's 100% legal for US players
- You get plenty of banking options
- The software runs smoothly and updates instantly
- You will find plenty of players to get contests launched in a hurry
- You can play one-day, one-week or even ongoing leagues
- The customer support is very friendly and fast
Overall, DraftKings is a very legit, straightforward site for fantasy sport lovers. If you're looking to play fantasy and want to enter some contests where you can potentially win big, DraftKings is a solid choice.