Most recently the NFL has partnered with FanDuel, a site that allows you to pick a team for only a week, and win money, depending on your upfront fee (bet). Well, it appears FanDuel and its main competitor DraftKings (also an advertiser during NFL and other sporting events) may be nothing more than a scam.
Recently, despite claims of millions of dollars in purses, it was revealed that the average payout is under $30.00. Promises of millions are nothing but smoke and mirrors. Now it was revealed that an employee had inadvertently released date that if used properly would increase a player's odds of winning, apparently, if your roster includes players that are not used by others, you win big (potentially.) The employee is barred from playing on his employer's site, however, he did play on his competitor's site, and won $350,000.
The NFL promotes fantasy football because it increases ratings and thus ad revenue. When Congress outlawed online gambling, the NFL lobbied heavily to carve out an exception for fantasy sports. The original legislation did not have any such exception.
The reality is, the NFL, MLB, and other professional sports leagues have been exceedingly schizophrenic when it comes to gambling. The look at casinos as dens of iniquity, yet they accept billions of add revenue and entry fees from fantasy sports. Let's stop claiming that fantasy sports requires skill, Truth be told, no amount of skill can compensate for Tony Romo's broken clavicle, or CC Sabathia's trip to rehab. Poker and black jack require the same amount of skill, and depend on chance. You need to know how to bet, how to read other players and when to fold. You can't control the cards, like a fantasy player can't control a coach's substitutions. Some skill, but mostly luck is at play.
All the while, professional leagues (and in the case of the NFL a not for profit one) rake in billions of dollars on the back of the guy locked in his basement, chasing the big score one more day.
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