The Best NY Daily Fantasy Sports Sites

If you’re a sports fan, few other activities can put your knowledge and skills to the test like daily fantasy sports can. Fortunately for New Yorkers, there are several great NY daily fantasy sports sites that offer exciting contests for several popular sports. By reading this guide, you’ll learn about your top options.

Why Play at the Best New York DFS Sites?

You can be assured of a safe and legitimate gaming experience at our top New York daily fantasy sports sites as each has earned a license from the NY Gaming Commission. Plenty of different contests are on offer to suit all budgets and tastes, with welcome bonuses available for new players.

The Best NY Daily Fantasy Sports Apps Reviewed

To get this guide to daily fantasy sports in New York started, we’ve highlighted the top four platforms available to local players. You’ll find mini-reviews for each option, where we’ve covered important details such as their contests and sports options, welcome bonuses, and the quality of their websites and apps.

FanDuel

FanDuel was launched in 2009 and has since grown to become one of the most popular DFS and sports betting sites in the US. The platform supports daily, weekly, and seasonal contests for an array of popular leagues, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, and much more.

There are hundreds of contests to compete in daily, with special options available for newcomers and intermediate players so that they’re not going head-to-head with experts. One of its highlights is the web platform itself, which has been optimized for easy drafting on desktop and mobile devices.

As FanDuel is accessible in most US states, you’ll easily be able to draft your teams at home or on vacation. The contest options vary greatly, with free contests listed side-by-side with tournaments that offer hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes. Whether you want to draft by salary or a snake draft, you’ll have the option to here.

DraftKings

DraftKings is undoubtedly one of the most popular New York daily fantasy sports sites on the market. Established in Boston in 2012, DraftKings offers contests for 11 sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, Golf, and UFC. It has one of the broadest selections of contest modes to ensure a customizable experience.

You have the option to create your own contests to play against your friends or join other tournaments and contests against total strangers. These competitions are organized based on experience, with prize pools often exceeding $100,000. The company rakes are often low too, meaning more profits for players.

There is a generous deposit match bonus available for new players too, so your first contests can benefit from a boosted budget. The platform is available on desktop and mobile devices, and if you wish, you can also access the sportsbook from your same account. Its DFS player prices are based on the betting platform’s odds.

OwnersBox

If you’re looking for a more unconventional DFS option, we recommend that you check out OwnersBox. There are three main contest modes on this platform, including Primetime Flex, Super Flex, and Lightning Lineups. Super Flex is the most similar to traditional fantasy sports though competitions allow three Flex positions to be drafted.

Primetime Dlex is similar, though requires a smaller roster of players with a majority made up of Flex positions. This can result in unexpected drafts that showcase user creativity. The final contest, Lightning Lineups, requires players to spin a reel to reveal three-player lineups of players and draft those they like. 

Paid contests start from as low as $2, with top prizes reaching as high as $100,000 for major tournaments. All of the Big Four US Leagues are represented here, meaning that you can draft from the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. There are also two welcome bonuses to claim in the form of a deposit match bonus and free contest credits. 

Jock MKT

Jock MKT, or Jock Market, is another daily fantasy sports platform that defies traditional contest conventions. The site was established by a group of day traders that sought to bring stock market trading to the fantasy arena. There is only one contest mode for Jock MKT which is applied to several popular sports.

The rules of these contests see contestants buy shares in players during an IPO. Their prices are based on their recent playing statistics. In the lead-up to and during games, these prices will fluctuate, and you can buy and trade shares. There are no requirements on how many players to back.

At the end of the contest, the players who earn the most fantasy points will pay out to the lucky shareholders according to a tiered payout scheme. There is a welcome bonus available when you sign up, with the most popular leagues for NFL and NBA.

Welcome Bonuses

As a new player at our platforms, you can claim a fantasy sports bonus offer in New York. These come in a variety of forms, though are usually free contest tokens or a deposit match bonus. The latter works by providing a 100% match of your deposit up to a set value in bonus funds.

These will only be available to users that have never held a DFS or sports betting account at the sites. Before you claim, you’ll need to read the terms and conditions. These may have limitations on the contests available or requirements on how you can turn your bonus funds into withdrawable cash.

Mobile Apps for DFS

Do you prefer to play on the go? Then you’ll be pleased to know that all of our recommended DFS platforms have created native apps to support remote gaming. These can be downloaded on both iOS and Android devices, and support all regular functions such as registration, payments, and drafting.

The daily fantasy apps NY interfaces have been designed to allow for easy navigation and seamless drafting. You can view the player statistics and prices and set up notifications to remind you of the contest’s starting and closing times. Mobile drafting is extremely convenient and we recommend using the apps for lineup editing in particular.

The Available Fantasy Sports and Leagues

There are a number of popular leagues available to play at our top fantasy sports New York sites, and you’ll find that in many cases, there are several contest options for each. In addition to the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, you’ll also find contests for golf, tennis, and MMA. We’ve covered the most popular options below.

NFL

The NFL is undoubtedly the most popular fantasy sports league to play in New York due to the fact it is one of the most popular sports in the US. At our top traditional-style platforms, you will find daily and seasonal contests using standard classic scoring systems, as well as Captain modes and Snake drafts.

To play, you’ll need to draft lineups of players from both offensive and defensive positions. There will be varying position requirements depending on your chosen contest, with at least one Flex usually supported. The best thing about NFL DFS is that there you will always be able to find games and advice for each week’s draft.

NBA

The NBA is also an extremely popular DFS competition league. The most common contest option will require players to draft lineups within a salary cap. Unlike the NFL though, the contest modes tend to offer greater flexibility when it comes to position requirements. There are also plenty of different price options.

We recommend that you follow a team-stacking strategy when you’re drafting your NBA lineups as there tends to be a correlation between different players’ performances and point-scoring. As the second-most popular DFS league, you’ll also be able to refer to plenty of pundit insights when drafting.

MLB

Fans of Major League Baseball will love the vast gaming opportunities offered by our top daily fantasy NY sites. You’ll be able to find both salary cap contests and snake drafts at sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings. This is a particularly great option to enjoy while in the NFL.

You will need to draft pitchers, hitters, infielders, and outfielders in your lineups, though some contest modes will allow you to draft more Flex positions and even Captains to accrue more points. During the World Series, you’ll find some exciting tournaments for MLB with large prize pools.

NHL

Although it is not the most popular league at our top recommended sites, you’ll still find plenty of great fantasy contest options for the National Hockey League. Whether you’re looking for daily or seasonal options, you can find these at DraftKings and FanDuel. Play against your friends or in major tournaments against strangers. 

You’ll score points for the performances of your goalies, wingers, centers, and defensemen. You’ll need to draft under a salary cap for most contest modes, with some tournaments offering hundreds of thousands in prize pools. 

Other Sports

At the major daily fantasy sports New York sites, you’ll have the option to choose from over 10 different sports and leagues to draft lineups from. In addition to the Big Four US sports leagues that we’ve covered above, you’ll also be able to play DFS soccer, Formula 1, UFC, golf, tennis, and NASCAR.

It’s unlikely that you’ll have as broad a selection of contest modes to choose from with these sports, though you’ll almost always be able to find Captain modes as well as the classic modes. These can be great options to play with your friends, though larger tournaments should always be frequently available.

How to Play

The rules on how to play fantasy sports will depend on the type of contest you have chosen to play. While at Owners Box and Jock MKT the modes will be specific to the platform and will be unlike traditional modes, the most popular forms of DFS will follow similar rules when it comes to drafting and scoring. We’ve covered these options below.

Salary Cap Contests

A salary cap contest is the most popular form of fantasy drafting in the US. These require contestants to build lineups of players within a strict budget, which is usually set at $50,000. Each player will be priced according to their statistics, so you’ll need to make wise selections of expensive favorites and cheap underdogs. 

Snake Drafts

Another common form of fantasy drafting is the snake draft. Rather than build lineups within a budget, contestants in a team will take turns one at a time to draft lineups as opposed to building teams at the same time. The order of player selection will be reversed with each round, with the number of rounds based on how many players need to be drafted.

Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPP)

A Guaranteed Prize Pool contest is the most common competition type, which sees a total prize pool offered that is not dependent on how many players compete. These tend to be larger tournaments that only pay out 20 percent of participants from a pre-determined gradient payout structure that sees the top-ranked players earning large prizes.

Cash Games

A cash game contest sees the top half of players earn a payout of around double the entry fee, with the lower half earning nothing. These are common in Head-to-Head games and see contestants have greater chances to earn prizes. These are great for risk-averse players looking to grow their funds.

The Payment Methods

Just like all the best NY gambling sites, New York’s daily fantasy sports sites provide users with several popular and convenient payment methods to make deposits and withdrawals. Depending on where you join, you’ll be able to use credit and debit cards, eWallets, bank transfers, prepaid cards, and mobile payments. Some common methods include:

• PayPal
• Visa and Mastercard
• Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Bank Transfer
• Paysafecard

Keep in mind that not all options will be versatile for both deposits and withdrawals. While deposits are processed instantly, withdrawal times will vary for each method. We suggest using PayPal for the fastest transactions. Be mindful that your welcome bonus may also have minimum deposit requirements to meet.

How to Sign Up

Once you’ve chosen which daily fantasy New York site you want to join, head to the websites and click the Register button. You’ll then need to provide your personal details such as name, address, and contact details, before submitting a copy of your ID. This will verify your age and identity.

After this process has been completed, you’ll be prompted to enter any relevant promo codes and make your first deposit. Once this has cleared, you’ll be free to start joining contests. If you wish, you can complete this process through your mobile app, which should always be downloaded through the official App Store or Google Play Store.

The Daily Fantasy Sports Legal Situation in NY

If you are wondering, “Is daily fantasy sports legal in New York?” we can assure you that it is. For some time, daily fantasy sports existed in a legal gray area in the state, with websites allowing players to sign up and play without there being any regulations on if it was deemed to be illegal gaming.

Then, in 2015, the NY Attorney General announced that it intended to shut down the platforms and take action against their owners. This was promptly ended when Governor Cuomo signed a bill into law that deemed DFS to be a game of skill and, therefore, not gambling according to state law.

The law states that only players over the age of 18 years old can legally create an account. It also placed a 15 percent tax rate on gross gaming revenues in addition to a 0.5 percent tax capped at $50,000 annually. Players must also declare their winnings from DFS as revenues.

Sports Betting vs. DFS – The Differences

While both online sports betting and daily fantasy sports are legal in New York, it’s important to note that they are two vastly different activities. Sports betting requires users to back certain unknown outcomes with money that is reliant on chance, which makes them a form of gambling.

DFS, on the other hand, sees players draft fantasy lineups of players and then earn points based on their real-life performances. Although both benefit from a degree of research and knowledge, DFS competitions benefit from strategy and skill. These games are also played against peers rather than the house, with DFS sites only taking a portion of the rake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you’ve reached the end of this guide on the top DFS betting sites in New York, you may still have some questions about the topic. In this section, we’ve addressed some common queries about daily fantasy sports, such as what the top platforms are and the legality of the activity in NY.