DraftKings DFS Review & Promo

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DraftKings DFS Hands-on Review

The DraftKings brand was founded by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish, and Paul Liberman in Boston, Mass. in 2012. Originating as a DFS platform, the DraftKings brand blossomed into an online sportsbook and casino in 2018. The sportsbook launched in New Jersey.

In 2020, DraftKings became a publicly traded company with a whopping 800+ employees while reportedly serving more than eight million users.

Through the years, DraftKings has grown into a behemoth in the fantasy and gaming space. The company has even partnered with major sports organizations including the NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, and more.

In April 2021, it was reported that DraftKings would become part of a tri-exclusive official sports betting partnership with the NFL along with Caesars Entertainment and FanDuel.

There is something for everyone at DraftKings, as they cater to beginner, intermediate and expert users. In addition to your traditional DFS contests that include GPP tournaments and cash games, you will also find step contests, 50/50s, user-created pools and so much more.

As you’d imagine, a company so large would be able to reward its customers with tremendous promotions and perks. You aren’t wrong. It seems like no matter the sport, DraftKings has a promotion for it.

And speaking of rewards, DraftKings repays its users with DK crowns, a form of virtual currency exclusive to the platform, which can be used for free games or at the DK shop. If you’re looking for news and advice, DraftKings has that too at their sister advisory site, DK Nation.

DraftKings is fully licensed and operational in 45 states.

Is DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports Legit?

Yes! DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports is legal and legit. Founded in 2012, DraftKings has now grown into one of the most recognizable brands in the DFS industry.

Not only is DraftKings partnered with multiple sports leagues including the NFL and NBA, but they are regulated by the individual states in which the DraftKings DFS platform is legal.
Currently, DraftKings has expanded into an online casino and sportsbook in addition to their status in the DFS realm.

Can You Win Real Money Playing at DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports?

Yes! You can win real money at DraftKings DFS as long as you are playing within the limits of a state in which the platform is legal.

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports Signup Bonus

The DraftKings DFS platform offers a sign-up bonus for new users. To take advantage of this offer, all you have to do is click the “Claim” button on any DraftKings DFS graphic you see at thegameday.com, and you will be directed to the DraftKings DFS website to begin the process. Once you register, you will be asked to make your first deposit. Upon doing so, you will unlock the following bonus:

• With your first new-user deposit, you will receive a 20% deposit bonus of up to $500.
  • Bonus funds are earned and unlocked as you play.
  • Users must deposit $2500 to receive the full $500 bonus.
  • Playthrough Requirement — for every $25 spent on contests, DraftKings will unlock $1 of Bonus funds.
• In addition to the 20% deposit bonus, you will receive a Free $3 ticket to play in one of DraftKings’ paid $3 contests.

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports No-Deposit Bonus

As of July 30, 2021, DraftKings DFS is not currently offering any type of a No-Deposit Bonus.

Deposit Bonus

The DraftKings DFS platform offers a Sign-up Bonus for new users. To take advantage of this offer, all you have to do is click the “Claim” button at thegameday.com and you will be redirected to the DraftKings DFS website to begin the process. Once you register, you will be asked to make your first deposit. Upon doing so, you will unlock the following bonus.

• With your first new-user deposit, you will receive a 20% deposit bonus of up to $500.
  • Bonus funds are earned and unlocked as you play.’
  • Users must deposit $2500 to receive the full $500 bonus.
  • Playthrough Requirement — for every $25 spent on contests, DraftKings will unlock $1 of Bonus funds.
• In addition to the 20% deposit bonus, you will receive a Free $3 ticket to play in one of DraftKings paid $3 contests.

If you are looking to play at DraftKings Sportsbook, you can use the DraftKings promo code “GAMEDAY200" to get $200 in Bonus Bets.

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports Promotions

The DraftKings DFS platform offers its users a plethora of promotions, but you must check on them daily as they often have fast turnarounds and expiration dates. Here, I will highlight examples of some of the best:

• Refer a Friend
  • When you refer a friend to sign up at DraftKings, you will receive $20.
  • The referral must make a $20 deposit.
  • Both sides will receive the $20.
• MLB Achievements
  • You can earn rewards and bolster your tier status all season long by playing in MLB contests. This will run for the duration of the MLB season.
• PGA Achievements
  • You can earn rewards and bolster your tier status all season long by playing in PGA contests. This will run for the duration of the Fantasy Golf season.
• PGA 20K Drive to Dough
  • This is a Free-to-Play contest
  • You have a chance to win $20,000
  • Enter 2 of DK’s Drive to Dough contests. One contest if for the entire final round and the other is for the 18th hole only.
  • You will answer a series of questions about potential outcomes.
  • Get enough right and you will win a share of $10,000 per contest.
• NASCAR Achievements
  • You can earn rewards and bolster your tier status all season long by playing in NAS contests. This will run through November 7, 2021.
• Daily Rewards
  • In order to qualify for Daily Rewards, you must have earned at least 100 DK Crowns in the preceding month. The more Crowns you earn, the higher the tier level, which means greater perks.

How Does DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports Work?

DraftKings is a DFS platform. DFS is a daily-formatted concept of fantasy sports. Rather than drafting a team and being married to it for an entire season, you draft your team once per contest.

https://thegameday.com/fantasy/In other words, if you draft a team and don’t succeed, you can try again the next day or later in the same day or night, depending on the sport you are playing and the schedule on a given day.

Here is a quick run-down on how it works:

• Go to the DraftKings lobby and choose the sport you want to play.
• Then, you choose the contest and type of contest (cash or GPP).
• Now, you will draft your team, but make sure you stay at or under the salary cap.
• In order to win, you must score more points than your opponents.
• If you place in a position to win a prize, you will be paid a percentage of the pot.

My DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports App Experience

The DraftKings DFS platform is available in-app from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. To download at either app store, you need to visit your device’s store, search for “DraftKings” and download the app. I am using the Apple version of the DraftKings DFS app.

Once you download the DraftKings DFS app, you will be asked to log in and verify your location. From here, you can get into the action. On the app’s home page, you will find your account information at the top.

Here, you’ll find any available tickets and crowns, as well as your account balance. You will see a “+” symbol with your account balance at the upper-right corner of the page. Here, you can deposit funds.
Just below this area, you will find a “Recommended For You” section. Here, you will find the contests that DraftKings feels you should be playing in depending on your user history on the site.

Directly under the “Recommended For You” scrolling menu, you will find a button to take you to the sportsbook and casino. Unfortunately, you need to download a separate app to use these options. If you already have it installed, the “Online Sportsbook and Casino” button will open the app and take you there in one fell swoop.

Next, you will find the midsection of the app titled “Find a Contest.” Listed, you will see all of the most popular sports and markets. However, if the one you want to find a contest for is not listed, you can hit the “Find a Contest” button to open up more options.

As we continue to scroll down, you will now see the “Promotions” menu. You can hit the “View All Promotions” button which will take you to every available promo you are entitled to. However, if you are only looking for the most popular ones, you will find them in the “Featured Promotions” menu on the app’s home page.

The final sections of the app’s main page consist of the following as we scroll down to the bottom:

• Create a Contest (create a custom contest for you and your friends)
• Global Player Swap (swap out a player in every contrast you are using them in)
• Bulk Enter (enter multiple contests with a single lineup)
• Leagues (create custom leagues for you and your friends; you can also track your results here)
• Rewards (you can find your rewards here)
• Missions (you can toggle through your open missions and achievements here)

At the very bottom of the page, you will see a standing menu with five options. They are as follows:

• Lobby (you can access open sports and contests here)
• Live (track the results of all of your live contests here)
• Home (go back to the main home screen)
• Upcoming (you will find any future contests you are entered in here)
• Recent (you will find your most recent results here)

As you can see, you can toggle just about everything you need on the app’s home page. It doesn’t really get much easier than that.

Should You Play at DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports?

Yes, you should absolutely join the DraftKings community! As I had said earlier in this review, DraftKings offers something for everybody, whether you’re a beginner or an expert. In some cases, bigger is not always better. However, at DraftKings, that is not the case.

Because DraftKings is among the largest DFS platforms in the industry, they can offer more than most of their smaller competitors. That means more promotions, rewards, sports, contests and better overall experience.

If you are an avid player, you will love their rewards system. Not only are the tiers attainable, but if you play enough, you will be invited to their VIP program. Even if you are a beginner, there are still plenty of perks available including an extensive how-to section as well as research, statistics and advice.

Given the size of the company and amount of users on the site, some might suspect that the app would suffer from slow loading times. Fortunately, that is not the case at DraftKings. The website and app are both among the fastest I have used.

They don’t skimp on content, either. Whether you are accessing DraftKings on their website or app, you will get an easy-to-use experience that is aesthetically pleasing.

Although DraftKings could provide expanded payment and customer service options, they get the job done. They do, however, make up for their few setbacks with a slew of options in just about every other noteworthy category, including promotions, contests and rewards.

You can also find meaningful statistics and tips right on the website, so you won’t need to go far to find additional resources. All you have to do is click on the DK Nation tab and you are on your way to a universe of information to help you maintain your winning ways or get you through your first contest.

If you are looking to break into DFS or are a current player and are searching for a new place to play, then DraftKings is a must-try.

How To Join DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports

Joining DraftKings DFS is easy! Here are the steps:

• Head to the DraftKings website or download the DraftKings app, where you will be prompted to sign up.
• Then, you will be asked to fill out a form with the usual information (Email, username, password).
• Next, you will fill out more information (name, address, phone number, DOB).
• After you agree to the DK Terms and Conditions, you are good to go.
• DK will ask you to make your first deposit now.
• Get into the action!

Payment Methods Available

DraftKings has multiple payment options available for its players.

Deposits

• Credit Card
• Debit Card
• PayPal
• DraftKings Gift Card

Note: You can only deposit funds into your DraftKings account with methods registered in the name of the user. In addition, all deposit methods require a $5 minimum deposit.

Withdrawals

• PayPal (3-5 days processing time with a $1 minimum withdrawal)
• Check (7-14 days processing time with a $15 minimum withdrawal)
• Card Refunds
  • When withdrawing money, deposits made in the past 90 days will be refunded to the card that you used to fund the account.

There are no withdrawal fees for any method. ACH withdrawals are for DraftKings Sportsbook or Online Casino customers only.

Leagues You Can Wager On

• NBA
• MLB
• NFL
• Golf
• NHL
• MMA
• Nascar
• AFL
• Tennis
• AUSFL
• Euro League
• College Football
• College Basketball
• CFL
• Soccer
• eSports
  • League of Legends
  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  • Call of Duty
  • DOTA2 (Defense of the Ancients)
  • Valorant
  • Rocket League

Games You Can Play

• GPP Contests: A GPP contest is a tournament that will pay out the entire prize pool whether or not the contest is filled.
• Head-to-Head: These are one-on-one contests in which the winner takes all the winnings.
• 50/50 Contests: These are contests in which the top half of the field will take home the prize pool. For example, if 20 people enter a 50/50 contest, the top 10 will win.
• Double-Ups: If you place in a prize-paying position, you can double your entry fee.
• Qualifier Contests: You can win tickets that can be used for free entry into a higher-stakes contest at DraftKings.
• Multiplier Contests: In multipliers, you can win three-to-10 times your entry fee if you finish in a prize-paying position.
• BestBall: Catered to NFL players. A BestBall league is a “set it and forget it” type of league. All you have to do is draft a team. During the season, your optimal lineup will be set to determine your weekly points outcome. At the end of the season, your winners are determined sequentially by which teams have the most points. There are no trades or team management in BestBall formats.
• User-Generated Contests: A user-generated contest will immediately and automatically close if it does not fill to the user-chosen capacity. DK will refund all entry fees upon cancellation.
• Steps: You can advance to the next level by placing and winning a ticket to get you there. For example, you can enter for $2, win your way up to Step 4 and walk away with cash prizes.
• Free Contests: These contests are free. Any winnings will be paid with entry tickets or DraftKings dollars (site credit) instead of cash, unless otherwise noted.
• Beginner Contests: A beginner contest is open to users who have not entered more than 50 contests or earned an experience badge at the time of entry. There are no unfair matchups here, as you’ll be playing against other novice players rather than DFS sharks.
• Casual: Similar to a beginner contest, a casual contest is open to users who have yet to garner an experience badge at the time of entry.

Rewards System

DraftKings DFS has a terrific rewards program to keep users coming back while rewarding them for their patronage.

Rewards

• DraftKings rewards are awarded in crowns.
• You will receive a crown for every $1 you spend on a contest.
• You can redeem your crowns for site credits along with other exclusive rewards.
• You can also use your crowns to purchase items at the online shop.
• To earn additional rewards, you can check out your missions to boost your reward status tier.
• If you collect enough crowns to obtain a status tier in a given month, you will receive daily rewards for the following month.

VIP

• If you qualify for the Draftkings Sportsbook VIP program, you will receive exclusive benefits that include enhanced promotional offers, better customer support, personalized contests and more.
• While the VIP program is by invitation only, you can also qualify if you are a VIP member (or equivalent) at another casino or sportsbook by contacting dkvip@draftkings.com.

Customer Service

Here are the Customer Support options DraftKings DFS offers:

Customer support is available from 6:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. ET, according to the website. Currently, the only way to reach the customer service center by phone is by filling out a form and receiving a callback.

• Send a Message: On the DraftKings Sportsbook website or app, you must go to the “Contact Us” page. Then, you will choose a topic and fill out the form which includes your username, email address, subject and message.
• Direct Email Address: sportsbook@draftkings.com
• Mail-in: US Office: 222 Berkeley St, Boston, MA, 02116
• Twitter: @DK_Assist

States Where You Can Play At DraftKings DFS

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Does DraftKings Have An Online Sportsbook?

Yes, DraftKings Sportsbook is legal and active in the US. In fact, it is one of the busiest sportsbooks on the market, live and legal in 12 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

There, you can place wagers on just about any sports market with a wealth of betting types to choose from.