Underdog Fantasy announces new peer-to-peer pick'em game in four states
Underdog Fantasy today announced the launch of a new peer-to-peer Pick ‘Em game across four states.
Underdog today launched Pick’em Champions, a new peer-to-peer daily fantasy sports game that will allow players to build teams of athletes and predict how they’ll perform against statistical benchmarks, in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Wyoming. The new offering went live at 3 p.m.
According to a company spokesperson, the new game differs from the traditional pick’em games by pitting users against one another and not against the house.
Underdog’s traditional pick’em games will continued to be offered as well.
New games not against the house
Pick’em Champions will allow players to enter their teams into a tournament where they’ll face off against other users, according to a release. Tournament winners will share a prize.
“We’ve built Underdog to innovate and help sports fans increase their enjoyment with sports and that is exactly what we are doing with Pick’em Champions,” said Jeremy Levine, founder and co-CEO of Underdog, in a released statement. “I’m very excited for what comes next. As we continue to evolve Champions, I think it very well could become the best game we offer. Recently, a few regulators have said that in their states fantasy should be peer-to-peer. While we don’t agree with that interpretation of the law, we developed Champions to be peer-to-peer. ”
Underdog Fantasy has faced backlash from states for its traditional pick’em games. The company’s traditional pick’em style DFS games involve customers playing against the house and making over-under type selections on a combination of statistical outcomes for athletes.
These new pick’em games, which have been approved by the four states, will pit users against each other and not against the house.
Traditional pick’em facing state challenges
Underdog’s new DFS game comes on the heels of several states taking aim at their traditional pick’em offerings, with regulators taking steps to limit or outright ban the DFS games as they allege their similarity to sports betting and the fact that users play against the house and not other customers.
The Maine Gambling Control Unit recently issued a $391,850 fine to Underdog Fantasy for offering the games in their state. Maine gambling regulators took aim at Underdog Fantasy’s pick’em games this past May, sending the operator a cease-and-desist letter.
New York recently approved an alteration of its DFS rules to prohibit traditional pick’em games. The New York State Gaming Commission unanimously finalized DFS rules that likely include a ban on Pick Em’ style games. The new DFS rules declare that “contests shall not be based on proposition betting and shall not have the effect of mimicking proposition betting.”
Despite the new rules, Underdog Fantasy still offers its traditional pick’em games in New York.
Colorado, Arizona, and Michigan have all taken recent steps to alter or outright ban pick’em games as well.
North Carolina, as it moves closer to a sports betting date, introduced initial sports betting rules that may also prohibit pick’em games. According to the recently introduced rules, fantasy contests in North Carolina will be defined as follows:
“Fantasy or simulated games or contests in which one or more fantasy contest players compete and winning outcomes reflect the relative knowledge and skill of the fantasy contest players and are determined predominantly by accumulated statistical results of the performance of individuals, including athletes in the case of sports events.”