FanDuel Vs. DraftKings: Which Online Sportsbook Is Better?

As the NFL season winds down to its big finale, you might have your eye on a sports betting app. Whether you've been betting all season long or are looking to start just in time for the big game (you won't believe just how much money people bet on Super Bowl LVIII) you could be wondering which sportsbook is the better choice. From parlay options to app usability to which states each sportsbook is actually available in, there can be a lot to consider when finding an online sportsbook.

As a quick refresher, sports betting only became legal in 2018 after the Supreme Court struck down the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). At the time of this decision, Gabriel Feldman, the director of the sports law program at Tulane Law School, predicted in The New York Times that, "Fans will become much more focused on gambling than following a team. It will make every second of every game of every week interesting to fans as it will give everyone something to root for." In the years that have followed, this prediction has proven increasingly correct. More and more states have legalized different forms of sports betting which has led to monumental growth in sports betting revenues. As of January 2025, 38 states and the District of Columbia allow some form of sports betting (with 30 of them allowing for online wagering) and in just the third quarter of 2024 alone, Americans wagered a whopping $30.3 billion on sports according to the American Gaming Association.

You have probably heard of both FanDuel and DraftKings. With flashy ads and sponsorships (such as LeBron James promoting DraftKings in a series of ads), marketing stunts (such as FanDuel's live Super Bowl Kick of Destiny wager), and even bonus bets offerings for new customers, these two sportsbooks have cornered the sports betting market. However, because of their similar strategies and offerings, determining which sportsbook is better is tricky. Both offer similar deposit and withdrawal options along with user-friendly (and highly-rated) mobile apps. Both also offer a wide variety of bet types including money lines, point spreads, team totals, game and team props, round robins, and parlays. Ultimately both offer extremely similar sports, bet varieties, and even pricing making these two sportsbooks fairly even.

With that in mind, it's important to realize that one or both sportsbooks might not be available in your specific state. For example, residents in New Hampshire, Maine, and Oregon can access DraftKings but not FanDuel. So which is better comes down to where you live, and where the game(s) you're betting on are taking place (since there will likely be more people betting on them in those locations). Many sports bettors wind up using both apps in order to compare and contrast pricing and betting offerings in real time across their preferred sport of choice. Since the likelihood of a single sportsbook offering the best odds on every bet you can imagine is slim, playing both apps can offer more variety in finding the betting odds and lines that you prefer. However, it's worth noting that someone regularly using both sportsbooks simultaneously could lead to an increased risk of financial issues and problem gambling behavior.

The user-friendly quality of both sportsbooks can spell trouble for many Americans. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, approximately 2.5 million U.S. adults have severe gambling problems, while another 5 to 8 million are considered to have mild or moderate gambling problems. Even worse, they estimate that the annual social cost of problem gambling in the U.S. is $14 billion (which includes gambling-related expenses like criminal justice and healthcare needs in addition to the potential for things like bankruptcy and job loss). As sports betting becomes legal in more states, so, too does the prevalence of gambling addiction and problem gambling behaviors. Calls to the National Problem Gambling Helpline increased by 43% in 2021 while texts increased by 59.8% and virtual chat volume increased by 84.1%.

Another downside of the growth of sports betting is how it is ultimately affecting the athletes participating in each sport. Sports betting related harassment has been on the rise, even prompting the NCAA to publicly denounce the behavior and launch several initiatives aimed at helping with student athlete mental health services, stating on its website: "The NCAA will continue to do its part to lead in this space to identify practical solutions to guard against the dangers of sports betting, such as harassment." And this harassment and abuse is not centered only on athletes. A 2024 study from the University of Oregon found that legalized sports gambling actually increased the rates of domestic violence by 9% in the states where mobile online gambling options (like FanDuel and DraftKings) were available.