Daily fantasy sports (DFS) giant PrizePicks has replicated a feature found on several sportsbooks by introducing an Early Payout option for users.
The new feature lets players choose to get paid out on a lineup that hasn’t fully finished. Available on select sports and stat types, Early Payout gives players real-time control over their lineups and allows them to strategically cash in if they’re concerned things may go awry.
Once two or more players in an eligible lineup have started playing, PrizePicks users will see an optional Early Payout slider on their screen. The payout value will update throughout the game based on player performance, and a new Pulse tab within the app lets players track their potential payout via a progress graph that updates as the action unfolds. If they swipe on the slider, they’ll receive the latest payout value displayed and the lineup will be settled.
While PrizePicks formally announced the new feature on Nov. 4, it has been operational for certain sports since mid-October.
It is the latest change it has made to its platform in recent months, the biggest of which was switching to peer-to-peer play only across its entire U.S. footprint. Though that pivot came in the wake of scrutiny on against-the-house DFS and the California Attorney General’s office publishing a negative opinion on all fantasy games, PrizePicks positioned it as an effort to build “a more social and engaging DFS product.”
Last month, it took another step in that direction by launching The Feed, a social tool that allows users to interact with one another and see each other’s lineup picks in real time.
Where you lead, I will follow
While its focus is on fantasy sports, future Allwyn-owned PrizePicks is the latest sports-focused gaming operator to introduce an early payout-style feature in the U.S.
Various sportsbooks have offered the ability to cash out bets for some time now. The concept is simple; it allows bettors to balk if they’re not feeling confident that their bet will win, and it can also serve to protect sportsbooks in cases where gamblers lose their never and take the lowerr payout on bets that ultimately would have cashed in fully.
As in-play betting becomes more central to sports bettors’ experience — and to sportsbooks’ wagering volume — online sportsbooks raced to bulk up their cashout capabilities this summer with the latest trendy feature: Injury protection payouts.
Fanatics led the field with its Fair Play that has been in place since 2024 for numerous sports and which the comparatively new sportsbook has cited as something that sets it apart from competitors. Fair Play allows bettors to get their stake refunded on bets concerning a player who leaves a game early through injury.
DraftKings unveiled its own Early Exit program this summer, giving users cash credits equaling the amount wagered if a bet is “significantly impacted” by a player leaving early due to injury. FanDuel and ESPN Bet followed suit in early September, in time for the new NFL season, with their respective Bet Protect and “injury insurance” policies.
