Fanduel

Betamerica

Draftkings

Skybet

Introduction

Fantasy sports betting has taken the world by storm over recent years. No need to play season long fantasy leagues, now the action can be done and dusted within days or weeks.

You will probably have come across a large number of online Sportsbooks and sports betting sites when you have been surfing the net. Many of these sites hold full gambling licenses from strict licensing jurisdictions and it is sometimes the case that the country you live in has restrictions concerning its residents getting involved with online gambling (particularly the US).

Fantasy sports betting for money offers you a way round those restrictions, and is perfect for sports fans who want to get involved in matches other than just watching games.

Sports betting has always been popular. It offers great opportunities for profitable bets, or just as a way of adding a little extra excitement to a match between your favourite team and an old opponent. Fantasy sports betting does exactly the same – over recent years a wide range of Fantasy sites have launched and these sites offer a completely different range of skill based gaming opportunities.

Whereas at a sports betting site you have to pick one of the available sports betting opportunities and hope the one you wager on wins, when you choose to sign up at a Fantasy Sports site you are able to pick your own team of players which play in your own team.

At first it may take you a little while to get your head around this concept, but to assist you in getting a full understanding of how these sites work and operate we have put together this in-depth guide. It’s designed to alert you to each available wagering opportunity and will also explain how these contests work and operate.

Every possible type of sport you may be interested in will be available at sites offering you this new way of betting. With significantly less legal constraints in place than with real money sports betting you should have no problems signing up and building your own fantasy team.

What Are Fantasy Games

The way in which a Fantasy Sports betting site works is relatively simple, though rules vary from site to site.

At each of the many sites available you will be given a range of sporting types, and will, in exchange for a small set fee, be given the option of building your own team of players from a large list.

You are given a pre-determined budget which you have to use to purchase your own set of players and must keep within that budget whilst selecting your own unique team.

These players will be playing in a real life sporting event and it is the way they perform in that up and coming event that will be used to determine a score, and based on just how well each player in your fantasy team performs when playing in that real life match you will be awarded that score.

Should your fantasy team be the highest scoring one when compared to all other entered teams you will win the cash prize attached to that fantasy event.

Below we have listed all of the different types of events that you will find available online. You’ll see there is no shortage of opportunities, and it’ll be easy to find one or more of them which will appeal to you.

Signing Up To Play

We have carefully hand-picked each and every Fantasy Sports site that is mentioned and reviewed in this section of RealMoney.Games

Each of those you will find listed offer a first class experience to customers.

When you arrive at any of our listed sites simply follow the link to the sign up or registration page and fill in the registration form with your personal details. Do be aware that this information will need to be verified by each of the operators, so make sure that you always fill it in accurately and completely.

Once you have signed up you will be given a unique username and password which you will then be able to use to log into the site.

Whilst you will find a small range of completely free of charge contests to take part in,  those which offer the biggest prize pools are often the ones that require you to pay a small entry fee to build your own fantasy team.

This will mean that you will need to make a deposit into the site that you are logged into. To do this simply click on the Cashier or Banking button and this will then launch the banking interface where you will be given the option of a large range of depositing options.

You can fund a Fantasy Sports account by using a Credit or Debit Card as well as being given the option of using any of the major web wallets such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill.

Be aware that many of our approved and handpicked sites also offer new customers a range of sign up bonuses and these can be claimed once you have made a qualifying deposit. The details of all available sign up bonuses can be found on the respective websites.

Building a Fantasy Team

As soon as you have signed up, logged in, and made a deposit at your chosen site then you are all ready to start building your own fantasy teams.

You simply need to peruse through the menu of available sports at each site and select the one that takes your fancy.

There are several things that you need to be aware of when building your own Fantasy Team, including:

• The actual price of entering that contest

• The amount of fantasy cash you will be awarded with once you have paid the entry fee

• The actual number of players you can select.

• Scoring rules

• Start and finish dates and times

All of the rules regarding each contest and event will be found on the rules and structure section.

It is worth noting that if you are new to Fantasy Sports then you are able to pick players for your respective team from any of those available, and as such if you want to pick one player from a different real life team or choose a set of players to make up your Fantasy Team who play for the same real life team, then as long as those players are available on the listing of selectable players you are free to do just that.

One final thing that you need to be fully aware of is the actual scoring system used to determine just how well or how badly your team have performed. As all Fantasy Sports are based on real life events then it is the way your chosen players have played in the corresponding real life sporting event that will determine the final score that you achieve.

Each sporting event may have its own unique scoring system in place, so when you are picking your team always familiarise yourself with the scoring system attached to that event to ensure you know just how you are going to accumulate your points. Each different type of sport will have its own completely unique and exclusive scoring system.

At the end of each sporting event all of the points scored by each of your players are tallied up automatically and you will then be issued with a final score for your team. Should you be listed on one of the prize paying positions on the leader board based on your team getting a high enough score then you will be awarded instantly the cash prize allocated to the contest that you have entered.

We will now guide you through each of the most popular types of sports that are available, and give you an overview of how they work and operate.

The Games

Fantasy Basketball

Should you have a passion for the sport of NBA then you are in luck as this is one of the most commonly utilised sports that have a very wide range of Fantasy Sporting opportunities available at all of our featured Fantasy Sports sites.

You will be awarded with a budget which you have to use to build your own unique set of players that make up your team and once each player is playing in the corresponding real life Basketball match they will accumulate a point score based on certain aspects of their game play.

The most commonly used scoring system found attached to all Fantasy Basketball events are based on the following game play events each player experiences. Points are awarded if your players scores a Point or he has a Missed FG or a Missed FT, plus additional points are awarded if that player Assists or gets either a Rebound, a Turnover, or performs a Steal or manages to Block shots.

Fantasy American Football

Each and every single one of our listed sites will offer you the ability of building your own Fantasy American Football team. The scoring system is quite complicated at first but if you are a fan of this sport you should soon get to grips with how it works and operates.

The two main types of scoring options are for Offensive and Defensive playing moves and as such you will be awarded points or will lose points when your players fumble, score field goals, or block kicks.

As the scoring system will add or subtract points to your Team it is going to be advisable that you spend some time selecting your team members, as you really will need to pick out the most in form players. They are going to be the ones most likely to see you being awarded the most points whilst a poor playing player could, through his game play, end up losing you points for game playing errors on the football field!

Fantasy Hockey

If it is the sport of Hockey that you have an interest in then you will be pleased to learn that you can use your knowledge of this sport to put together your own unique set of players and build your very own Fantasy Hockey sports team.

There is something of a unique type of scoring system in place on Fantasy Hockey teams as there are different points to be award to the Goalie you have picked along with the Skaters/Players, and as such it will pay dividends for you to carefully select just which Goalie you are going to have in your Team – he will get both points earned and points deducted depending on just how well he plays.

The same thing is true for your Skaters/Players as they will be awarded points for assists, blocked shots, and of course goals. It always pays to spend as much time as you need when picking your team!

Fantasy Golf

One recent addition to the available Fantasy Sports opportunities are those involving the sport of Golf.

Much like all other Fantasy Sports you are given the option of choosing a team of several players taking part in an up and coming Golf Tournament and depending on just well each of your selected Golfer’s plays you will be awarded a set of points.

You should be aware that not all Fantasy Sports site offer Fantasy Golf gaming opportunities. However one of our featured and top rated sites – Draftkings – have recently made live such a fantasy opportunity. So if you’re a golfing fan and want to build up a team to win some cash then Draftkings should be at the top of your list.

Knowledge of players counts for a lot in all sports, but golf fans in particular have good opportunities to pick a strong team using player and course knowledge.

Fantasy Baseball

If you’re a baseball fan, you will be able to pick your own fantasy baseball team made up of players from all of the major leagues. With there being so many talented and not so talented players out there everyone will of course have their own unique opinions on just which players make up the perfect team.

Once again you are going to find the scoring system that is attached to all fantasy baseball games to be unique to that sport, and as such you will find points can be awarded for both pitching and hitting. This will mean you really ought to be picking the best players who are most likely to get a home run to allow you to amass what will hopefully be a winning score.

The cost of taking part in a fantasy baseball game is not going to be too expensive, even if you have just a modest bankroll at your disposal are going to be able to actively get involved.

Fantasy NASCAR

You are also going to be able to take part in plenty of NASCAR Fantasy Sports contests and events, however when you do there is a very simple scoring structure in place as each event available is normally a simple match between two drivers.You’ll have to use your skill and judgement to pick the drivers who you are convinced are going to get as many lap leads as they can. Points will be awarded for their final finishing position in any race along with points being awarded for each lap that your chosen drivers manage to complete.

If you do enjoy the exciting spectator sport of NASCAR then why not get involved by forming your own fantasy NASCAR racing team, this will add another level of excitement when you next sit down with a beer or two to watch a major race. If all goes as planned then you could pick up some rather large cash prizes if your drivers perform as you hope!

Fantasy Soccer

While the number of people who regularly play at fantasy sports websites is constantly growing, outside of the US and Canada it’s probably soccer fantasy games that are most popular. Soccer is the number one game throughout Europe and Asia, and there is definitely no shortage of fans who will always have their own opinions on their favourite players and teams.

Being able to put together your own teams made up of players from different real-life teams – while also being rewarded with cash prizes via Fantasy Sports sites when your chosen team does well – will give you lots of bragging rights with your friends, especially if you’ve set up your own fantasy league between you.

There are some major differences in regards to the way fantasy soccer contests work and play. Often you’ll be choosing teams at the start of a long season, though there are opportunities for contests run over shorter periods or even on individual games in some cases.

If you are playing over the course of a season, it will often be possible to swap and transfer players at certain times in that season.

There may be small monthly prizes awarded to those fantasy team managers whose soccer teams are doing well during the season, with a huge cash prize being awarded at the end of the season to the top scoring team.

One European and UK facing Sportsbook that have their own fantasy soccer site is SkyBet. Once you have signed up to their sportsbook site you can use your log in details to quickly and instantly access their fantasy soccer section.

Fantasy Horse Racing

Should you be a fan of the Sport of Kings, that being Horse Racing then you will find several sites offer you the chance of picking a team of Jockey’s, Horse Trainers and of course Horses that will make up you Fantasy Stable.

When you sign up to a site that offers Fantasy Horse Racing then your chosen Horses, Trainers and Jockeys will be used to determine your stables score for the duration of a Flat or Jumping Season. You will of course be hoping your selections perform to the top of their game and win more horse races than all of your opponents. 

Hints & Tips

If you’re going to get involved in fantasy sports betting – or any type of betting for that matter – there are a number of things you’ll need to think about to give yourself the best chances of success. Getting ahead of the back is very similar with betting on fantasy sports as it is in standard sports betting – knowledge is everything.

In this section we’ll look at some tips and strategies which might help you land a big prize at some point. It’s recommended that you read through this section carefully, you may end up benefiting from enhanced winning payouts and lots of additional bonuses and promotions – all the while also having a much more enjoyable online fantasy sports experience….

Website Interfaces

It is important that you select a Fantasy Sports site that is going to offer you a very user friendly type of interface. You will want to pick your teams quickly and get them live instantly once you have made your player selections and as such it would be advisable that you sign up to several of our featured sites and give them a try for free to see which one appeals to you the most.

You will additionally find that several Fantasy Sports sites now also have mobile device compatible interfaces and those that do will allow you to put together a team whenever and wherever you like. However once again do put several of these mobile Fantasy Sports sites to the test via their free to play demo mode versions to see which ones you find the easiest to use.

Utilising Fantasy Sports Bonuses

All Fantasy Sports sites are eager to get as many new customers as they possibly can – just the same as casino, poker, or bingo operators. To do this they offer bonuses and promotions for new and existing players. If you are looking to maximize and enhance your available budget then one simple and easy way is by taking full advantage of all these special offers.

In the case of sign up and reload bonuses, as we’ve seen before with casino gambling there is no such thing as completely free money. It is always worth taking time to read through the terms and conditions of any welcome bonuses to ensure your qualifying deposit is not going to be tied up into a set of restrictive rules.

All of the recommended fantasy sports sites listed here offer a fair play set of terms and conditions attached to their bonus and promotional offers. This means you will not only be getting tremendous value for money when you take advantage of any of them, but you will always have a sporting chance of winning and making or taking a profit after you’ve worked through any bonus wagering requirements.

Banking Options & Depositing Money

Please be aware that you could end up being charged a small fortune when you fail to use a cost effective method of depositing funds into a Fantasy Sports site, plus some sites will also charge you a fee for making a withdrawal of any winnings that you may have accumulated.

With this fact firmly at the forefront of your mind you are best off finding a method that will allow you to make any deposits for free. One of the best ways to do this is by using a Debit Card. Should you opt to use a Credit Card you may discover that the card issuer will charge you what is known as a cash advance fee. These fees will quickly mount up and may have a negative effect on your overall winning chances!

You will also find that most of our recommended sites offer banking options that permit you to use web wallets such as PayPal. If you own such a web wallet account then you will find it can be a very cost effective way to send money into and withdraw winnings from any of the fantasy websites.

One final tip we can give you in regards to moving money into and out of any Fantasy Sports site is for you to sign up to one which permits you to make deposits in your own home currency. If you find that you are forced to deposit funds into your account using a different currency other than your own home currency you will have to pay currency exchange fees – and if you make a withdrawal you will again be hit with more!

Knowledge is Power

Take your time when you are selecting and putting together your own teams – study form and know your players capabilities. We’ve seen before that in the field of betting on any type of sports, it’s your knowledge level that often makes the difference between profit and loss.

You are going to find that the websites owned by all major sports teams can be a very valuable source of form, facts and figures of all of the players that make up that team. Fan sites and sports news and information sites can also always be relied on to give you pointers as to which players are at the top of their form and may be worth including in your teams.

However always be aware it is up to you which players you add to your teams and never be afraid of taking a risk with one of two that you think are going to excel unexpectedly. Those fantasy sports managers who are prepared to take a risk can sometimes get well rewarded with cash when their predictions and gut feelings are proved correct!

Shop Around – Try Out The Different Operators

Whilst you may like the look and feel of one specific fantasy sports site it can often be that by shopping around from site to site you are going to find some bigger prize pools or sign up bonuses on offer. You may even find game formats that suit your style of ‘management’ better.

Entry fees are also worth considering if you want to reduce your initial outlay, though of course the higher the entry fee, normally the higher the prize pool.

Take Advantage Of Freeroll Fantasy Sports Contests

Freeroll contests are free to enter, normally set up for new registrants to give them an opportunity to see how it all works or an an incentive to join.

There are plenty of freeroll fantasy contests on offer at our recommended sites. They give you great no risk opportunities to try out the software, get used to making selections, and even maybe win a piece of a reasonable prize pool.

Stick To Rated Or Well Known Sites

One final Fantasy Sports tip we would like to pass on to you is that you need to stick to those sites that are established, trustworthy, and offer plenty of different sport types.

As mentioned we pride ourselves on only show-casing the premier online Fantasy Sports sites and by checking out any of our listed sites you will most likely never run into any kind of problems. Operators at this level cannot afford bad press, and they know it’s in their best interests to provide strong support.

All of our listed sites offer their customers around the clock customer support and as such if you do have any questions then help and advice is always available via email, instant chat or via the telephone.

Keep An Eye On Number Of Opponents

It is always worth remembering that many contests will have a maximum number of permitted entrants. This sometimes gives you an opportunity to be able to instantly work out your actual winning chances and potential by finding out just how many opponents you will be up against.

It goes without saying that if you want the absolute maximum winning chances when taking part in any fantasy sports contest then you are best off selecting one that has only a small or minimal number of permitted entrants, as the lower the number of opponents you are up against then the better you winning chances will become!

Make Regular Withdrawals

As with any form of gambling there is always going to be some element of risk when you take part in a contest, and as such we would advise you to set yourself a daily or weekly budget and never get carried away and spend more than you are prepared to lose.

All of our listed sites offer very fast payouts of winnings, so one other handy tip is to get used to making a withdrawal when you are winning. By getting used to cashing out your winnings you will always ensure you have funds available to take part in another contest whenever you get the urge. 

Guides & Resources

For more information on daily fantasy sports visit this excellent guide.

Wikipedia as always carries a page on the subject, but this one needs little extra work on development.

If you want to watch some videos on the subject, here’s a link to the Youtube daily fantasy sports channel.

And as always let’s not forget the popular social networking sites. Both Facebook and Twitter carry tons of information on every aspect of betting on fantasy sports.

Profootballfocus.com offers a service known as PFF Fantasy Gold. In their words ”The first step to winning your fantasy league is subscribing to PFF Fantasy Gold and accessing the articles, tools, stats, projections, and rankings provided by some of the industry’s top writers”

Finally check out this site at Advanced Sports Logic for the most powerful suite of fantasy sports products available. ASL offers a suite of tools to aid fantasy sport fans in making and managing teams.