Colorado could be the next state to ban player vs. house pick’em fantasy sports games, PrizePicks warned customers this week.
On March 21, the Legislative Committee on Legal Services will vote on the future of pick’em daily fantasy sports and whether those games should be subject to Colorado sports betting rules and regulations, according to emails PrizePicks sent to users in the state.
It comes after the Colorado Division of Gaming issued rules outlawing player vs. house fantasy games in January, clarifying that they must be peer-to-peer.
PrizePicks calls on Colorado fantasy sports users
Those rules “abruptly halted” PrizePicks’ ability to offer its most popular games, it said in the email urging customers to contact their lawmakers.
“On March 21st, the Colorado Committee on Legal Services will convene to decide the fate of PrizePicks and other Daily Fantasy Sports Pick’em style games in Colorado,” the PrizePicks email reads. “Rules from the Colorado Division of Gaming have abruptly halted our ability to offer the games you’ve loved for years, and your help is crucial in turning the tide.”
PrizePicks was the most-downloaded fantasy app in 2023, according to Citizens JMP Securities. Pick’em games, its largest offering in which users pick a combination of athletes to go under or over different stat lines, are under scrutiny as a growing number of states identify them as unlicensed sports betting.
PrizePicks and the Coalition for Fantasy Sports employed similar outreach tactics in Michigan and New York last year. Both states ultimately took action to ban pick’em DFS and PrizePicks no longer offers paid games in either state.
PrizePicks statement on Colorado
A spokesperson provided a statement on PrizePicks next steps in Colorado:
“Every day, PrizePicks users trust us to provide safe and fun daily fantasy offerings, and we owe it to our fans to keep them informed about regulations hindering our ability to do so. The upcoming Legal Services Committee meeting in Colorado is a critical juncture for the future of DFS in Colorado, and we’re committed to doing everything we can to protect it,” a PrizePicks spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
“Our goal is to help the Colorado Division of Gaming understand how much people love DFS Pick’em contests, and our hope is that they’ll work collaboratively with us to craft thoughtful regulations that allow us and others to operate while protecting consumers from bad actors.”
No date yet for Colorado, lawmakers say
A spokesperson with the Committee on Legal Services confirmed the vote but said a formal date for it has not yet been decided. The committee does not have any upcoming meetings scheduled on its webpage.
Neither committee Chair Rep. Mike Weissman nor Vice Chair Sen. Bob Gardner responded to requests for comment.
“It is my understanding the Committee on Legal Services (COLS) is reviewing the rules, but we weren’t aware of the date yet,” a spokesperson with the Colorado Division of Gaming said in an email to LSR.
Colorado tweaked fantasy sports rules
The Colorado Division of Gaming’s ban on player vs. house DFS comes after it allowed Underdog Fantasy to launch player vs. house pick’em last August under unique limitations.
It required that games involve at least four players and be based on projected fantasy scores. That is a notable deviation from many other states where pick’em needs to be only two players and stat lines can involve anything from passing yards to rebound totals.
Underdog still offers player vs. house pick’em in Colorado, according to its website.
