FanDuel Help/FAQ

1. Basics

• What is FanDuel?

  FanDuel is a fantasy sports game which lets you draft a fantasy team any time you want and win real money on it. It offers both salary cap and autopick games. When the game starts, you can watch the scoring live to see who is winning. We currently have - daily MLB games, NBA games, and NHL games and weekly NFL games.

• Is it legal?

  Yes, Fantasy Sports is considered a game of skill and received a specific exemption from the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. FanDuel uses exactly same rules as any other season long fantasy sports game, the only difference is that our games last only a day. Thanks to fantasy sports being specifically excluded from laws affecting online sports betting, FanDuel is not illegal in any way. Trust us, our lawyers drive very nice cars so that we can keep it that way. We're also members of the The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA). Click here for a more detailed answer to this question

• Why should I use FanDuel?

  Our games are available to play every day allowing you the flexibility to play whenever you want and however often you want. With FanDuel there's no season long commitment and you can win real cash every day! You can go head to head against other users and friends or join a multi-player league for larger cash prizes. Oh, and did we mention it was fun?

• How do I sign up to FanDuel?

  To open an account simply click here and deposit some money (min $10) to start playing the game in full.

• How much do the games cost, and what can I win?

  Fanduel offers games at $5, $10, $25 and $50 entry prices. The prizes for winning those games are set out in the table below. Note that for multi-person leagues the prize is only for the player that comes first. In the event of a draw the prize will be divided between the two (or more) top scoring entrants.

  	Head 2 head	5 person league	10 person league
  $5 entry	$9	$22.50	$45
  $10 entry	$18	$45	$90
  $25 entry	$45	$112.50
  $50 entry	$90

  Fanduel may from time to time offer tables of different sizes and entry fee levels. In those cases the prize level will be advertised on that game.

• What happens if my entry doesn't get matched or not all the spots are filled in a
  multi-person game?

  Prior to the start of the game we run all the head to head entries through a matching process which results in most of them getting matched. However, for a small number of them we may not find a matching entry (same entry price level) and therefore that entry is voided and the entry fee is returned to your account.
  
  For the multi-person leagues, if the league is not completely filled by the start of the game then all entries on that league are voided and the entry fees returned to the users accounts.

• Who do I play against?

  You can either (1) pick an opponent or opponents from the homepage, (2) play against your friends by challenging them over email, Twitter or Facebook, or (3) wait and see if your entry is matched by another user. For head to head entries, if you arenÕt matched prior to the start of the game we will automatically match you against another FanDuel user when the game starts (if a suitable opponent is available).

• Who can play?

  Well for a start you must be 18 years of age or over and a resident in the USA or Canada. Also if you are a resident of Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana or Vermont then you cannot play FanDuel for real money (sorry, go picket your state Senate). For more information, please read our terms of use.

2. General

• How can I challenge my friends?

  Enter a new game, and once you've made your picks you can send a challenge out to friends via email, Facebook or Twitter. If you send it to several people then the first person to submit their team will be the person you will play. If none of your friends accept your challenge (they obviously fear you!) then you will be automatically matched against another FanDuel player. If you don't want to appear in public listings of entries (so that your friends have time to accept your challenge) make sure you untick the Public Entry checkbox on the draft screen.

• Where can I see my previous games?

  All of your previous games will be stored in the My Account tab where you can see past, live and your upcoming games.

• How does the auto pick draft work?

  Players are allocated to you and your opponent in turn, automatically in one go when the game starts, based on the order you placed them in. The turn order is a snake, so the first person to pick gets to choose first, then person 2 gets 2nd and 3rd pick, person 1 gets 4th and 5th pick, person 2 gets 6th and 7th, and so on. The player you get each turn is the highest unpicked player on your draft list. This goes on until you both have a full team. If you decide not to pick your backups they are allocated as the next best available player. The first person to enter their team gets first pick.

• What if we pick the same players?

  In salary cap you both get that player. In auto pick if you pick the same player as your opponent, you'll only get them if you ranked them higher in your draft order - so, you have to prioritize the players you want (see previous question to learn how the draft works). You can also use this to your advantage: You know your buddy loves Kevin Youkilis at 1st base and Ian Kinsler at 2nd. Time to completely mess up his draft!

• Are we allowed to change our draft?

  You can change your picks and draft order at any point up until the start of the game. If you haven't challenged a friend then this will be 5 minutes before the game is due to start.

• Why can't I see all the players who are playing today?

  For all sports you should see all players who are on the team roster for the selected games.

• I've lost my log in details, what can I do?

  Simply go to the Login page and click on the forgotten password link to send you a reminder.

• How do I delete my account?

  Please contact us

3. Rules & Scoring

• How are the scores calculated?

  The scores are calculated using the regular fantasy league points. See the Rules and scoring link on the top right of each draft screen for the specific points and categories used in that game.

• What happens if any of the games are postponed or called off?

  If the game is postponed but happens on the same day (for NBA, MLB & NHL or within the game period for NFL) then you will receive points for your players in those games as normal. If a game is postponed to a later date or called off for any reason, any players you have selected for that game will receive zero points. Be sure to check out the schedules (NFL schedule, MLB schedule NBA schedule and the NHL schedule) before you pick players. If game cancellations and/or postponements mean there is only one game left on a particular day, that day's FanDuel game will be cancelled and all entry fees will be refunded.

• What happens if a game is abandoned?

  If a game is abandoned then any points scored by players prior to abandonment will be credited to that player unless the rescheduled fixture is on the same day (NHL, NBA, MLB) or same week (NFL).

• How do you deal with player scoring revisions?

  During the game we receive live scoring from our stats provider, Stats Inc. After the game has ended they pass us a final box score for the game. After we receive and confirm the box scores for all the day's games we then settle all entries. However, very rarely, the leagues and stats provider revise the box scores after the final box score has been released. In the event of this occurring the player scores on Fanduel will not be updated and the settlements will not be revised.

• How do you deal with double headers?

  Players will only score points for the game listed against their name on the draft screen. Therefore if a player plays in two games on the day then they will only be scored for one of those games. In the event of a double header you can check which game the player is listed against by either clicking on that competition's 'More details' link on the home page or by clicking on the 'Game' drop down box on the draft screen.

• The games are all over, and I won, so why is my account not showing my prize?

  We have to wait until all the final fantasy points have been reported to ensure that the final score is accurate. Because fantasy points are awarded manually by stats providers, there can be some last minute changes. If there is difficulty obtaining official results or issues with scoring, the contest may be settled the following day.

• MLB Scoring

  Scoring: 1B = 1pt, 2B = 2pts, 3B = 3pts, HR = 4pts, RBI = 1pt, R = 1pt, BB = 1pt, SB = 2pts, SO = -1pt
  Pitcher: W = 7pts, ER = -1pt, IP = 1pt, SO = 1pt

• NFL Scoring

  

• NBA Scoring

  3-pt FG = 3 pts, 2-pt FG = 2 pts, FT = 1 pt, Rebound = 1 pt, Assist = 1 pt, Block = 2 pts, Steal = 2 pts, Turnover = -1 pt,

• NHL Scoring

  Goals (3), Assists (2), Plus/Minus (1), Penalty Minutes (0.5), Powerplay Points (1), Shots on Goal (0.4) Wins (4), Goals Against (-1), Saves (0.2), Shutouts (2)

4. Deposits and withdrawals

• I'm having problems depositing money into my account, what can I do?

  If you're having any problems depositing money then get in touch and we'll deal with the issue as soon possible.

• How do we withdraw money?

  You can withdraw your money at any time. Simply click on the Withdraw link on the My Account page and enter the amount you wish to withdraw. We'll then transfer the money to you via PayPal. All withdrawal requests received prior to 12 noon ET Monday to Friday will be processed the same day. Withdrawal requests after that will be processed the following working day. Please note we do not pay out the sign-up bonus unless it has been previously entered into at least one game. We also conduct anti-fraud checks on playing patterns and deposits prior to processing a withdrawal. For withdrawals of $250 or over we also offer withdrawal by check.