Fantasy sports have been around for decades, but are now being shouldered aside by DFS, or daily fantasy sports. For those new to fantasy leagues of all stripes, figuring out the differences and nuances of each can be challenging.
After all, both are meant to be recreational and exciting. Even so, sports fans who aren’t sure whether they’d prefer to compete for real cash prizes or the glory of putting together a winning fantasy team will have to do a bit of research before they get started with sbobet.
Here’s a quick overview: traditional fantasy leagues run the duration of a live sports season, while DFS covers a shortened contest period, typically one week or even one day. Traditional fantasy leagues don’t usually include prizes, while DFS is part of the US sports betting market.
Prior to the 2018 Supreme Court decision to overrule a federal ban on sports Online Cricket Betting ID, DFS options have become incredibly varied. As such, states that launch their betting markets often have excess deals from sportsbooks (DFS providers included) to bring on new customers.
For example, now that CO has launched its market, many free bets Colorado sportsbooks offers can be used for DFS competitions. So far, DFS has attracted fantasy league players interested in trying a new format. But with so many moving parts, learning the differences between DFS and traditional fantasy league comes down to a few different factors, such as the fan experience. Let’s dive in.
Fantasy League, aka ‘Roto’
The core of any traditional fantasy league is diehard fans and their love of stats. The practice started as ‘Roto’, which takes its name from the rotisserie restaurant where baseball fans first conceived the idea in 1980.
Using real, live data from their favorite league, they’d build out their own ‘fantasy’ rosters and lineups. Then, using real data updates from the week’s actions, they’d pit their fantasy teams against one another to see, according to a fixed points system, who came out on top.
For decades, this came down to friend groups, who organized leagues and a points allocation system themselves.
Data as a Hobby
Today, the most popular (free) fantasy leagues are hosted by major sports groups, including the NFL, Yahoo Fantasy Football, ESPN, MyFantasyLeague, and more. The idea is for fans to comb through data, then cross-reference these facts with their own gut feelings and experience in a league, to build a killer, unbeatable fantasy team.
But it’s a slow burn, as the fantasy league unfolds at the same pace as the real regular season. This means a traditional fantasy league will go on for months, requiring participants to crunch data as the action unfolds. DFS, on the other hand, was designed to speed up the wait by condensing contests into a shortened period. Rather than build a fantasy football team for the whole season, they’ll create a lineup for a single weekend—no reason to wait. (Dayvigo)
DFS Emerges in 2000s & Creates Hype
DFS got its start in the 2000s as fantasy league buffs looked to revolutionize the format with an injection of excitement. As mentioned above, multiple sportsbooks in the US offer DFS—and two, DraftKings and FanDuel, even got their start by focusing on DFS specifically.
The idea quickly proved popular, as fantasy league fans glommed onto the new format in which convenience ruled. Following regulatory battles with the US (prior to the 2018 Supreme Court decision to lift a ban on sports betting), DFS became an aspect of betting culture.
To this day, some contend that DFS is a game of skill—just like fantasy leagues, it requires fans to analyze the game from multiple angles. Some might argue DFS requires even more attention to detail, as many contestants build their lineups according to a contest’s rules and points allocation system rather than analysis alone.
But it’s important to note that most DFS analysis comes down to winning a profit through a contest, while traditional fantasy leagues are still more about applying knowledge and coming out ahead against other diehard fans. Sure, most traditional fantasy leagues have a prize pool amongst friends, but the emphasis remains on glory. DFS, on the other hand, comes with a larger payout for winners.
