DraftKings has quickly become the fastest growing daily fantasy sports site and is cemented as the second largest site in the industry behind FanDuel.
Based out of Boston and started early in 2012, Jason Robins, Paul Liberman, and Matt Kalish took their VistaPrint success and brought it over to daily fantasy sports.
Right away, they were aggressive with their 2012 NFL season offering a $300,000 contest. DraftKings followed that up with a $3.1 million dollar fantasy football contest in 2013 and bigger things are in store. They have focused on player acquisition, but also retention and building the best user experience in the industry.
DraftKings offers games for the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, WNBA, Euro Basketball, NASCAR, MMA, Tennis, college basketball, college football, and more.
NFL QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, D/ST ($50,000)
MLB P, P, C, 1B/DH, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF ($50,000)
NBA PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G, F, UTIL ($50,000)
NHL W, W, W, C, C, D, D, UTIL, G ($50,000)
CFB QB, QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX ($50,000)
CBB G, G, G, F, F, F, C, UTIL ($50,000)
PGA GOLFER x6 ($50,000)
SOC GK, D, D, M, M, F, F, Flex ($50,000)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
$1-$5300
HEAD-TO-HEAD MATRIX
21 entries; $5-$1060
LEAGUES
3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 20 man
TOURNAMENTS (GPP - GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
Ranging from $0.25-$1060
50/50 - DOUBLE UPS
4-22.2K man
3X - TRIPLE UPS
Top 1/3 of the field wins triple their money
10X - 10X BOOSTER
Top 1/10 of the field wins ten times their money
STEPS
10 man contests in which the top two players will advance to the next "step". If you win Step 4, you can turn $2 into $200.
BEGINNER
You can play vs the same level of player up to your first 50 contests per sport
QUALIFIERS
You can win tickets that can be used for free entry into a higher stakes contest
While DraftKings does have some of the largest prize pools in daily fantasy sports, where they have made their mark is in the software/interface. They have raised the bar and really made the user experience second to none.
Late Game Swap
DraftKings was the first daily fantasy sports site to offer the "late game swap" feature which allows players to edit their roster up until the individual game start time and not based on when the first game of the contest starts. This has proven to be very popular with their audience and was a catalyst for their huge growth early on.
My Lineups
Perhaps the best feature that has been developed in daily fantasy sports, the "My Lineups" page from DraftKings is just outright impressive. Having all of your lineups on one single page organized by sport, player pool, and having the ability to edit rosters on the fly has been a huge contributor to the popularity of the site.
Free with Ticket
This lobby feature is unique to the industry in that if you have earned entries to a contest via a free ticket it will show which one you are eligible to enter. With the number of qualifiers that DraftKings runs daily being very high, this is a useful feature. Also, you can purchase tickets in the store with your Frequent Player Points.
Entries
Another great lobby feature that allows you to see which contests you have already entered in the lobby.
Depth Charts
After you enter a contest and you're building your roster, DraftKings has now put the depth charts of each team along with a scoreboard area so you can see the starters andbackups. This is extremely useful when a player has been scratched and you want to see which backup will be receiving additional playing time.
Global Player Swap
Following up on above, if you get news that one of your players has been ruled out for the night, you can quickly remove that player from all contests and select a replacement. This is a great feature for mobile users.
Opponent Rank
A newly added feature to the roster lineup screen, this feature is very underrated as it allows players to make a lineup rather quickly if they just want to play based on the opponent rank at each position.
Player Cards
The DraftKings player cards are easily the best in the industry with a large colored page, organized stats, and plenty of news on the bottom. You can also get the salary history of a player, which is a huge feature.
Player Alerts
Once you are logged in, on the upper right hand corner of the lobby there is a "Bell" icon, and if any of your players in a lineup have news it will be posted here. This is great for knowing about injury news that could impact your teams.
Deposit/Pending Bonus
The deposit bonus releases in increments of $1 for every 100 Frequent Player Points (FPP's) you earn. FPP's are earned when joining any paid contest on the site. You do not receive FPP's when you enter free contests, such as FreeRolls.The higher the entry fee, the more FPP's you earn upon joining that contest.
Frequent Player Points (FPP)
Frequent Player Points (FPPs) are points you earn upon the start of every paid contest you enter on DraftKings.com, whether you win or lose. FPPs awarded vary per contest type (displayed on the Draft page) and are not earned for playing in FREE ENTRY games. The more contests you join and money you spend, the more FPPs you earn.
FPP Store
You can redeem your FPP into free tickets to enter contests. They start as low as $2 (1100 FPP) and go up to $270 (148,500 FPP). The store is located on the lobby page in the upper right hand corner under the "wheel" icon.
Free Games
Draftkings offers an extensive list of free games for many different sports that payout real prizes, but cost nothing to enter. You can sort the games by entry cost to be sure you enter every free game available.
$3.1 Million Fantasy Football Millionaire
$1 Million 1st Prize (12/22/13)
$2.2 Millionaire Maker (NFL)
$1 Million 1st Prize (10/19/14)
$1 Million Bank Shot (NBA)
$100,000 1st Prize (3/26/14)
$1 Million Chase for the Crown:Diamond Edition (MLB)
2013 MLB Season
$1 Million Chase for the Crown (NFL)
2012 NFL Seasonv
$500,000 MidSummer Classic (MLB)
$125,000 1st Prize (7/19/13)
$300,000 Showcase (NBA)
$50,000 1st Prize (2/26/14 and 2/28/14); Qualifier only (40)
$250,000 Main Event (NFL)
$100,000 1st Prize (12/23/12)
$100,000 NHL Breakaway
$12,000 1st Prize (2/27/14)
DraftKings has partnered with the World Poker Tour to offer up daily fantasy sports contests in which the winner wins a seat into a WPT event with all expenses paid. This has been very attractive to DFS players who have come from the poker world and are looking to turn a small investment into a large score. Every month, there is an event you can qualify for.
DraftKings allows deposits and withdrawals via PayPal, Visa, MC, Discover, and American Express along with Dwolla. There is a $5.00 minimum deposit, which is the lowest in the industry. Withdrawals are typically processed within 24 business hours, so please be patient if you submit on a Saturday/Sunday.
Baseball (MLB)
| Hitters | Pitchers |
|---|---|
| Single = 3 pts | Inning Pitched = 2.25 pts |
| Double = 5 pts | Strikeout = 2 pts |
| Triple = 8 pts | W = 4 pts |
| Home Run = 10 pts | Earned Run Allowed = -2 pts |
| RBI = 2 pts | Hit Allowed = -0.6 pts |
| Run = 2 pts | Walk = -0.6pts |
| Walk = 2 pts | Hit Batsman = -0.6 pts |
| Hit By Pitch = 2 pts | Complete Game = 2.5 pts |
| Stolen Base = 5 pts | Shutout = 2.5 pts |
| Caught Stealing = -2 pts | No Hitter = 5 pts |
| NOTE: Hitting statistics for Pitchers will not be counted, and Pitching statistics for Hitters will not be counted. | |
Football (NFL)
| Offense | Defense/Special Teams | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing TD | 4 pts | Defensive TD | 6 pts |
| Passing Yard | .04 pts | Return TD | 6 pts |
| Rushing TD | 6 pts | Interception | 2 pts |
| Rushing Yard | .1 pts | Fumble Recovery | 2 pts |
| Receiving TD | 6 pts | Sack | 1 pt |
| Receiving Yard | .1 pts | Safety | 2 pts |
| Reception | 1 pt | Blocked Kick | 2 pts |
| 2pt Conversion | 2 pts | 0 Points Allowed | 10 pts |
| Interception | -1 pt | 1-6 Points Allowed | 7 pts |
| Fumble Lost | -1 pt | 7-13 Points Allowed | 4 pts |
| Return TD | 6 pts | 14-20 Points Allowed | 1 pt |
| 300+ Yard Passing Game | 3 pts | 21-27 Points Allowed | 0 pts |
| 100+ Yard Rushing Game | 3 pts | 28-34 Points Allowed | -1 pt |
| 100+ Yard Receiving Game | 3 pts | 35+ Points Allowed | -4 pts |
| Extra Point | 1 pt | ||
| Field Goal 0-39 Yards | 3 pts | ||
| Field Goal 40-49 Yards | 4 pts | ||
| Field Goal 50+ Yards | 5 pts | ||
| NOTE: Points Allowed (PA) only includes points surrendered while DST is on the field – doesn't include points given up by team's offense (i.e. points off offensive turnovers). The following scoring plays will result in Points Allowed (PA) by your Defense/Special Teams (DST): Rushing TDs, Passing TDs, Punt Return TDs, Kick Return TDs and Blocked Punt TDs, 2pt Conversions, Extra Points, and Field Goals. | |||
Basketball (NBA)
| Point = 1 pt | |||
| Made 3pt. shot = 0.5 pts | |||
| Rebound = 1.25 pts | |||
| Assist = 1.5 pts | |||
| Steal = 2 pts | |||
| Block = 2pts | |||
| Turnover = -0.5pts | |||
| Double-Double = 1.5 pts | |||
| Triple-Double = 3 pts | |||
| NOTE: There is a maximum of one double-double per player (Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals) and a maximum of one triple double per player (Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals). | |||
Hockey (NHL)
| Skaters | Goalies | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals = 3 pts | Win = 3 pts | ||
| Assists = 2 pts | Goals Against = -1 pt | ||
| Shots on Goal = 0.3 pt | Saves = 0.2 pts | ||
| Blocked Shot = 0.5 pt | Shutout Bonus = 2pts | ||
| Penalty Minutes = 0.1 pt | |||
| Short Handed Point Bonus = 1 pt | |||
| Shootout Goal = 0.2 pts | |||
| Hat Trick Bonus = 1.5 pts | |||
| Goalies WILL receive points for all stats they accrue, including goals and assists. The Goalie Shutout Bonus is credited to goalies if they complete the entire game with 0 goals allowed in regulation + overtime. Shootout goals will not prevent a shutout. Goalie must complete the entire game to get credit for a shutout. | |||
College Football (NCAA)
| Offense |
|---|
| Rushing yards made = 0.1 pts |
| Rushing touchdowns = 6 pts |
| Passing yards = 0.04 pts |
| Passing touchdowns = 4 pts |
| Interceptions = -1 pt |
| Receiving yards = 0.1 pts |
| Receiving touchdowns = 6 pts |
| Receptions = 1 pt |
| Punt/Kickoff return touchdowns = 6 pts |
| Fumbles lost = -1 pt |
| 300+ Yard Passing Game = 3 pts |
| 100+ Yard Rushing Game = 3 pts |
| 100+ Yard Receiving Game = 3 pts |
College Basketball (NCAA)
| Point = 1 pt | |||
| Made 3pt. shot = 0.5 pts | |||
| Rebound = 1.25 pts | |||
| Assist = 1.5 pts | |||
| Double-Double = 1.5 pts | |||
| Triple-Double = 3 pts | |||
| NOTE: There is a maximum of one double-double per player (Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals) and a maximum of one triple double per player (Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals). | |||
Golf (PGA)
| Tournament Finish | Per Hole/Streak & Bonuses |
|---|---|
| 1st Place = 30 pts | Double Eagle = 20 pts |
| 2nd Place = 20 pts | Eagle = 8 pts |
| 3rd Place = 18 pts | Birdie = 3 pts |
| 4th Place = 16 pts | Par = 0.5 pts |
| 5th Place = 14 pts | Bogey = -0.5 pts |
| 6th Place = 12 pts | Double Bogey = -1 pts |
| 7th Place = 10 pts | Worse than Double Bogey = -1 pts |
| 8th Place = 9 pts | Streak of 3 Birdies or Better = 3 pts |
| 9th Place = 8 pts | Bogey Free Round = 3 pts |
| 10th Place = 7 pts | All 4 Rounds Under 70 Strokes = 5 pts |
| 11th-15th Place = 6 pts | Hole in One = 10 pts |
| 16th-20th Place = 5 pts | |
| 21st-25th Place = 4 pts | |
| 26th-30th Place = 3 pts | |
| 31st-40th Place = 2 pts | |
| 41st-50th Place = 1 pt | |
| For the Streak of 3 Birdies category, there is a maximum of 1 counted per round. | |