New daily fantasy sports provider USFantasy has increased the number of Nevada sportsbooks that it serves to more than 40, with the addition of several new locations this week.
Unlike traditional DFS operators that are business-to-consumer products, USFantasy is a pari-mutuel platform that can be leveraged by existing gaming operators.
The list of USFantasy sportsbooks
Things had started out slowly for USFantasy, which was only in three books to start the NFL season. While USFantasy was approved for a gaming license in Nevada back in June, getting sportsbooks signed on and approved by state regulators has been a slower process than expected.
But the platform has been increasing where it can be accessed each week. Here are the sportsbooks that now feature USFantasy, according to the company.
- Aquarius Casino Resort (Laughlin)
- Arizona Charlie’s Boulder
- Arizona Charlie’s Decatur
- Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
- Boulder Station Hotel & Casino
- Caesars Palace
- El Cortez Hotel and Casino
- Fiesta Henderson Hotel & Casino
- Flamingo Las Vegas
- Fremont Hotel & Casino
- Gold Coast Hotel & Casino
- Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa & Casino
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
- Harrah’s Las Vegas
- Harrah’s Laughlin
- Harrah’s Reno Casino
- Harveys Lake Tahoe
- Lakeside Inn & Casino (Lake Tahoe)
- M Resort Spa Casino Las Vegas
- Montego Bay Casino & Resort
- Palace Station Hotel & Casino
- Palms Casino Resort
- Paris Las Vegas Hotel
- Peppermill Hotel Reno
- Peppermill Inn Wendover
- Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
- Rainbow Wendover
- Rampart Casino at The Resort at Summerlin
- Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa
- Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino
- Riverside Resort & Casino (Laughlin)
- Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall
- Sante Fe Station Hotel & Casino
- Silverton Casino Hotel
- South Point Hotel and Casino
- Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower
- Suncoast Casino & Hotel
- Sunset Station Hotel & Casino
- Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel
- The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
- The LINQ Hotel & Casino
- The Orleans Hotel & Casino
USFantasy expects to be in more than 60 books in the coming weeks. The biggest segment noticeably absent from the list, currently, is Las Vegas MGM properties.
Feasibility as a product for land-based casinos
The gaming industry has expressed interest in getting into the DFS business, and USFantasy is casinos’ first real foray into the space. (Exceptions include a tribal casino in Minnesota that is offering a DFS platform; and casinos have hosted live DFS events in the past. A new product based on keno and aimed at casinos is also being developed.)
USFantasy is not much like the product offered by the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel, where users select a roster of players under a “salary-cap” model.
In its model, USFantasy creates pools of players at different positions: quarterback, running back, etc. A bettor goes to a sportsbook and picks players much like they would select horses in a race: You can select a player to “win,” “place” or “show” based on their odds, which vary as bettors place wagers. If you select a player that puts up the most fantasy points based on USFantasy scoring system, you win money.
You can also place other wagers like in horse racing: exactas (picking the top two fantasy players in a single pool) and daily doubles (picking the top fantasy players in two different pools).
The odds for this week’s NFL pools can be seen here.
The exposure of USFantasy to casino patrons has been fairly limited in recent weeks, so it will be interesting to see if the product gains traction as bettors become more familiar with the product and as it is available at more venues throughout the NFL season.
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