Skip to main content

PrizePicks, Underdog Daily Fantasy Sports Return to Florida Under New Format

Andrew Brennan

Last Updated: April 23, 2024 1:01 PM EDT • 1 min 41 sec read.

While residents of Florida have extremely limited access to our best sports betting sites, some big sports betting news is coming out of the Sunshine State.

PrizePicks and Underdog have returned to the Florida sports betting space with new, legally compliant daily fantasy sports formats after receiving multiple warnings from the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) to discontinue their previous offerings.

The FGCC first informed three betting-adjacent companies - Betr was the third - in September 2023 that their DFS formats weren't compliant with Florida state law. In January, it notified the trio that they had 30 days to halt operations in the state or face potential legal action.

Introducing peer-to-peer DFS gaming

In response, both PrizePicks and Underdog are offering peer-to-peer gaming rather than their previous format, which pit users against "the house." Success isn't measured by odds set by operators, thus fitting peer-to-peer gaming within Florida's legal definition of acceptable gambling.

PrizePicks introduced "PrizePicks Arena,"  which allows customers to compete with one another for cash prizes. PrizePicks is offering users two ways to win under this new format, which requires them to select multiple players from different teams to form a "lineup." They'll then choose whether they think said players will record More or Less (similar to how traditional betting uses Over and Under) than the listed stats.

PrizePicks then assigns players to groups, and whichever user scores the most "points" in that group will win the cash prize. Additionally, if a user creates a "perfect lineup," they'll automatically win.

Underdog's new offering is similar, and will be called "Underdog Pick 'Em Champions."

With Underdog's version, users also create a roster consisting of at least two players (from different teams) and no more than five. Similarly, the user will select whether said players will finish with "higher or lower" their listed stats.

The prize is based on the scoring criteria associated with whichever contest the user chooses to enter. If a single entrant manages the most correct picks, they win the full prize, with it then being split among those who tie. Up to 50,000 entries are available per contest.

New format doesn't cross the line

As it stands, the only legal Florida sports betting site is Hard Rock, which the Seminole Nation provides.

Florida isn't the only state that's forced these DFS operators to alter their format. PrizePicks reached a $15-million settlement with the New York Gaming Commission in February for a similar issue, and it's yet to return to the state.

"PrizePicks Arena" initially launched in the Tennessee sports betting, West Virginia sports betting, Wyoming sports betting, and Alabama sports betting scenes. It's since expanded into the Arizona sports betting and Massachusetts sports betting spaces following similar legal operating issues.

Written By:
Andrew Brennan
Andrew Brennan is a publishing editor for Sportsbook Review. He also heads the website’s MLB coverage, from the various futures markets to daily picks. Andrew believes a math-based approach is the best way to enjoy long-term success in sports betting, and he’s spent the better part of the last year fine-tuning his own process for MLB, NBA, and NFL picks. Andrew uses eight different sportsbooks to find the best odds available and various projection models to gather as much information as he can. His most used sportsbooks are bet365, FanDuel, and theScore Bet. When it comes to daily projection models, he regularly references NumberFire across all sports, as it’s one of the best free tools available. In terms of which daily markets Andrew attacks, he almost exclusively bets on pitcher strikeouts for baseball. When the winter rolls around, you’ll see him providing more variety when it comes to the NBA (points, assists, rebounds) and NFL (almost any offensive-based player prop). He used these tools to go +150 units in 2023. Andrew is also a passionate fantasy sports player. He’s played fantasy football, fantasy Premier League, and fantasy baseball for the last decade. He graduated from Durham College with his diploma in journalism after earning his degree in law from Carleton University. He’s worked in sports media since early 2017, first contributing at FanSided before moving to theScore. He joined SBR in 2022.