Underdog is continuing to maintain a presence in Florida’s daily fantasy sports market.
The DFS and sports betting operator is launching Champions in Florida, a peer-to-peer fantasy contest. Underdog is bringing Champions to the Sunshine State after contentious discussions with the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) over its pick’em style contests.
“Florida’s gaming structure and compact are completely unique, though the state has made it clear peer-to-peer fantasy sports are permissible by expressly allowing FanDuel, DraftKings, Yahoo, OwnersBox, and others to offer their fantasy games,” said an Underdog spokesperson. “So, in addition to our draft contests, we are now also offering our strictly peer-to-peer fantasy contest, Champions, to the millions of fans in the state. We’ve worked with Florida regulators and when they previously asked us to stop offering a product, we did, and we are now following the new blueprint state officials have established.”
Underdog’s decision to launch Champions comes after the FGCC ordered the company, along with PrizePicks and Betr, to shutter its pick’em style contests in the state.
The regulator claimed the three operators were “offering or accepting illegal bets or wagers from [Florida] residents” and “conducting any illegal lotteries” as their contests mirrored player prop betting. However, FanDuel, Yahoo, OwnersBox and DraftKings were not sent cease and desist letters for their paid contests.
As a result, Underdog continues to offer its P2P offerings, which are bolstered with Champions, as Florida prohibits single-player DFS contests but permits P2P games.
Underdog has also expanded its reach by debuting its sportsbook in North Carolina last month. Underdog joined bet365, ESPN Bet, and others with access in the state.
