Daily Fantasy Sports by State
Where salary-cap daily fantasy and pick'em contests are available in 2026, from the operators' own state lists, and how fantasy contests differ from sports betting.
Paid daily fantasy is offered in most states, but none of the major operators we checked offers paid contests in Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Washington. Pick'em contests are more limited than salary-cap fantasy, and Virginia moved fantasy under a Virginia Lottery permit system on July 1, 2026, which requires players to be 21 and bars contests against the operator.
Fantasy Availability by State
A check means the operator lists the state for paid play on its own site (FanDuel salary-cap fantasy; PrizePicks, Underdog, Sleeper and Betr pick'em). October 2026.
| State | FanDuel | PrizePicks | Underdog | Sleeper | Betr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alaska | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arizona | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No | ✓ |
| Arkansas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| California | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Colorado | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No | ✓ |
| Connecticut | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Delaware | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No | ✓ |
| Florida | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Georgia | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hawaii | No | No | No | No | No |
| Idaho | No | No | No | No | No |
| Illinois | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Indiana | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Iowa | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Kansas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kentucky | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No | ✓ |
| Louisiana | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Maine | ✓ | ✓ | No | No | No |
| Maryland | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Massachusetts | ✓ | ✓ | No | ✓ | ✓ |
| Michigan | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Minnesota | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mississippi | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Missouri | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No |
| Montana | No | No | No | No | No |
| Nebraska | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nevada | No | No | No | No | No |
| New Hampshire | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| New Jersey | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| New Mexico | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| New York | ✓ | ✓ | No | No | No |
| North Carolina | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| North Dakota | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ohio | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Oklahoma | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Oregon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pennsylvania | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Rhode Island | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| South Carolina | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| South Dakota | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tennessee | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Texas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Utah | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vermont | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Virginia | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Washington | No | No | No | No | No |
| Washington DC | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| West Virginia | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wisconsin | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wyoming | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
DraftKings' fantasy state list could not be verified for this update; check its app. Ages: 18 in most states, 19 in Alabama and some others, and 21 in states including Arizona, Massachusetts and Virginia, depending on the operator.
How Fantasy Contests Differ From Sports Betting
In daily fantasy sports you pay an entry fee to build a lineup (salary-cap DFS) or to pick more/less on player stats (pick'em). You win cash prizes based on how real athletes perform. Sports betting is a wager on an event outcome at odds set by the book. State fantasy laws typically define a fantasy contest by four features: the prizes are announced in advance, winning outcomes reflect participants' skill, results come from accumulated statistics of multiple athletes, and no outcome rests on a single team's score or point spread or solely on one athlete's single performance. Connecticut's statute, for example, says 'sports wagering' does not include paying an entry fee to play a fantasy contest.
Because fantasy contests are carved out of sports-wagering definitions, DFS is often licensed separately (Iowa: Racing and Gaming Commission; New Hampshire: Lottery Commission; Virginia: now the Virginia Lottery) or offered in states that have no sportsbooks. Pick'em is where states diverge. A player picking more/less against a posted line from the operator looks more like betting. Virginia's new law requires that 'no player competes against the fantasy contest operator', and Iowa requires that the operator 'is not a participant'. Operators have responded with peer-to-peer formats: Betr is peer-to-peer only in 16 jurisdictions, and Underdog offers only 'Champions' in many states. They have also pulled pick'em from about a dozen or more states while keeping CFTC 'prediction' products there.
Where Pick'em Isn't Offered
In states without paid pick'em, some players use sweepstakes sportsbooks or prediction markets where those are allowed. Each state guide lists what works there.
Current Sign-Up Offers
Fanatics Sportsbook's welcome offer in legal betting states, plus prediction-market and sweepstakes offers for states without legal online betting. Your state guide shows the ones that work where you are.
Daily Fantasy FAQ
Is daily fantasy legal in my state?
Paid fantasy is offered in most states. None of the major operators we checked offers paid contests in Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Washington. See the table for each operator's state list.
What is the difference between DFS and pick'em?
Salary-cap DFS has you build a lineup under a budget and compete with other players. Pick'em has you pick more or less on player stats. Pick'em is offered in fewer states.
How old do you have to be to play daily fantasy?
18 in most states, 19 in Alabama and some others, and 21 in states including Arizona, Massachusetts and Virginia, depending on the operator.
What changed in Virginia?
On July 1, 2026 Virginia replaced its Fantasy Contests Act with a Virginia Lottery permit system that requires players to be 21 and bars contests against the operator, so house-style pick'em is no longer offered there.