PrizePicks will stop taking money on pick ’em daily fantasy sports in Michigan by November 8, the company said in emails sent to customers this week.
The decision comes shortly after Michigan‘s ban on DFS games that “mimic” player prop betting. It is the first state where PrizePicks, the most downloaded fantasy app over the last two months, is pulling its most popular game amid multiple orders to do so across the country.
Starting November 9, PrizePicks will switch to free-to-play contests in Michigan, where users can still win cash prizes, the company told customers. Users with money still in their accounts may withdraw their funds at any time, the email added.
“Additionally, our team is hard at work designing new real-money fantasy contests for those of you in Michigan. More details regarding these products will be shared in the near future,” PrizePicks said in emails to customers.
PrizePicks a third pick’em exit in a week
PrizePicks continues to offer pick’em contests in more than 30 states, including Florida and Wyoming, which have sent multiple operators cease and desist notices. Many of those orders center on similarities between player prop sports betting and pick’em fantasy games in which users parlay overs and unders on different athletes.
A similar ban in New York last week prompted the exit of fellow pick’em operator Sleeper. Underdog, another operator featuring pick em, recently exited Maine after regulators levied a nearly $400,000 fine and demanded the company stop offering the games.
Each are members of the Coalition for Fantasy Sports. In September, the group ran Facebook ads calling on Michigan customers to “help stop the fantasy sports ban” and contact their local lawmakers. PrizePicks has run a similar campaign in New York, where it remains operational, along with Underdog.
That group lobbied Friday against proposed North Carolina sports betting rules that likely would ban pick’em as well.
PrizePicks leads fantasy apps in downloads during NFL
Pick’em operators make up the top 3 most downloaded DFS apps through Week 7 of the NFL season, according to data from JMP Securities.
| DFS App | Downloads Through NFL Week 7 (2023) | Downloads Through NFL Week 7 (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| PrizePicks | 681k | 359k |
| Sleeper | 505k | 187k |
| Underdog Fantasy | 421k | 179k |
| Betr | 290k | 36k |
| FanDuel | 188k | 249k |
| DraftKings | 184k | 246k |
DraftKings and FanDuel do not offer pick’em, though they do have separate sports betting apps in states where it is legal.
PrizePicks does not provide fantasy games beyond pick’em. Underdog offers more traditional fantasy contests in other states, like best ball and daily drafts. Neither Sleeper nor Underdog operates in Michigan.
Under Michigan‘s adjusted consumer protection rules, DFS operators “may not offer any contests that have the effect of mimicking betting on sports or that involve ‘prop bets’ or the effect of mimicking proposition selection.”
LSR reporter Mike Mazzeo contributed to this story.
