News: PrizePicks Switches From Against The House To Peer-To-Peer In California
The daily fantasy sports operator makes a change ahead of an opinion from the state's attorney general expected to declare DFS for real money illegal.
PrizePicks is changing its fantasy sports game in California ahead of an opinion from the attorney general that is expected to declare daily fantasy sports illegal.
PrizePicks is now offering its Arena product in California, not its pick’em game, according to a page detailing which games it offers in each state. Its original pick’em game is one player playing against the house; Arena is a peer-to-peer format. In both formats, users try to predict the performances of more than one player.
Elisa Richardson, VP of Communications for PrizePicks, offered this statement to The Closing Line:
“We’re excited to now offer Arena to players in California. Arena has been incredibly well received by our community and we’ve seen continued growth as more players engage with this peer-to-peer format.”
Here is the page — what it looks like now and what it looked like last week. You can see that “CA” now appears under Arena instead of under Pick’em.
Now:
Last week:
Users on Reddit confirmed they are now being told they must play in Arena mode in California as of yesterday.
The move comes as California Attorney General Rob Bonta appears set to issue an opinion today or tomorrow on DFS in the state. PrizePicks competitor Underdog Sports is suing to try to stop Bonta from issuing the opinion, which could potentially delay the AG’s office.
Sources have told TCL that Bonta’s opinion will be broad in scope, impacting not just real-money DFS but potentially any fantasy contest where the platform is involved in transactions. PrizePicks likely sees the P2P version of its contests as more defensible legally vis a vis the against-the-house version in California. The original form of pick’em against the house is logistically the same as placing a parlay at a sportsbook.
More background on fantasy sports in California:
The Takeaway: An FAQ About California Fantasy Sports As AG Opinion Looms
Every Thursday in The Takeaway, The Closing Line provides commentary on trends and news in the gambling industry.