Can I Use PrizePicks In California?
If you look up the term “sports betting apps” in the Google Play Store or the App Store, you’ll see an app called “PrizePicks” near the top of the results. While PrizePicks isn’t technically a sports betting site, it offers a sports gaming experience that should appeal to anyone looking for prop-betting-style action. If you’re reading this guide from Props.com, you might be asking the question “is PrizePicks legal in California?” The answer to that question is yes, and we’ll explain why in this article.
Our Top California DFS App Recommendations*
*PrizePicks doesn’t currently offer a sign-up bonus for Props.com readers, but check back with this page for the latest updates on a PrizePicks California promo code.
Top California Daily Fantasy Apps
While sports gamers in the Golden State still wait for California to legalize sports betting, daily fantasy sports (DFS) sites and apps such as PrizePicks offer a great legal alternative.
As we’ll discuss in this guide, PrizePicks operates as one of several legal DFS operators available in California. Along with PrizePicks, apps like Underdog Fantasy, Boom Fantasy, and ParlayPlay offer great outlets for players waiting for the launch of regulated sports betting.
The DFS apps described in this guide offer a wide range of sports, from major pro leagues to college football and basketball and much more.
The California sports betting industry will likely become a reality at some point in the not-so-distant future. Until then, let’s take a look at some of the best alternatives to legal online sports betting sites that are available right now in California.
Best California DFS And Sweepstakes Sites October 2024
*PrizePicks is legal in California, but we recommend the following daily fantasy sports and sweepstakes apps for the best player experience available for California sports gaming enthusiasts:
Which DFS Apps Are Legal In California?
What Sweepstakes Sports Picks Apps Are Legal In California?
What Is PrizePicks?
Avid daily fantasy sports players already know the rundown when it comes to PrizePicks and the other apps listed in this guide. PrizePicks operates as a legal daily fantasy sports app that offers games focuses on fantasy prop contests.
California residents and visitors can play daily fantasy sports on sites like PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy, ThriveFantasy, and ParlayPlay, and enjoy an experience that’s similar to player prop betting at legal sports wagering sites.
Here’s a look at how the games at PrizePicks work:
PrizePicks Games
PrizePicks operates as one of the most popular sports gaming platforms in the U.S. Like the other daily fantasy sports apps on this list, the gameplay at PrizePicks is centered around fantasy props, using the familiar totals parlay format.
You make More or Less picks at PrizePicks, choosing whether a given athlete will accumulate more or less of a particular statistic than a given line. For example, choose whether Stephen Curry will score more or less than 30.5 points in a game.
The game formats at PrizePicks include:
PrizePicks Flex Play
Flex Play contests function as parlay tickets that pay out even if you miss a pick.
Flex Play contests include: 2-Player (0.5x payout for one correct pick; 2x for two); 3-Player (1.25x payout for two correct picks; 2.25x for three); and 4-Player (1.5x for three correct picks; 5x for four).
PrizePicks Power Play
Power Play contests function like totals parlay tickets in the sports betting world. You have to get every pick right on a Power Play entry to win.
Available options include: 2-Player (2x payout), 3-Player (5x payout), and 4-Player (10x payout).
How Is PrizePicks Legal In California?
Daily fantasy sports sites aren’t explicitly legal in California, but the state also doesn’t restrict DFS operators from offering their services.
That approach to DFS is fairly common among U.S states. While some states outline the legality of daily fantasy sports, other states allow DFS sites to operate is somewhat of a legal grey area.
The apps listed in this guide operate in multiple states, including California. The legal status of DFS sites in California isn’t clearly defined, but you can safely play on the apps listed in this guide with the assurance that your money and personal information is safe.
Keep in mind that state lawmakers and California voters would likely have to work together on any kind of bill that makes sports betting legal, or any kind of online gambling legal for that matter. Let’s take a closer look at the outlook for California sports betting in the next section.
California Sports Betting Legalization Outlook
A pair of sports betting measures appeared on the November 2022 ballot in California, but neither initiative got the required public support to move forward.
California’s long history as a gambling-friendly state incorporates a complex relationship between tribal casinos and California cardrooms. National sports betting brands like DraftKings and FanDuel also want to operate in the state, further complicating the outlook on sports betting legalization in California.
Federal law allows states to decide their own stance on legal sports betting. While many states have given the green light to online sports betting, California remains a state with no legal, licensed operators offering sports wagering.
Will California Legalize Sports Betting?
The answer to the “will California legalize online sports betting” question is almost certainly yes. When that will happen, however, is unclear.
The United States sports betting market continues to thrive, with more than half of U.S. states offering legalized sports betting in some form. California seems like a sure bet to pass sports betting legislation and offer online sports betting at some point.
For more on the legal status of CA sports betting and California sports betting FAQ, check out the Props.com California sports betting guide.
Best California Sports Gaming Apps October 2024
Our Top California DFS Apps
Underdog Fantasy
Underdog Fantasy could be the best DFS site for players looking for both traditional DFS games and the Pick’em-style games found at other newer DFS sites. Available in more than 40 states, Underdog Fantasy makes playing daily fantasy sports a worthwhile pastime, even in states with legal sports betting.
The DFS competitions available on the Underdog DFS platform include:
Underdog Fantasy Pick’em
The Pick’em games at Underdog Fantasy play very much like player props at traditional sports betting sites. You can combine multiple Pick’em choices into a single entry, and the payout multiplier increases your potential prize.
If you enjoy putting player props together into a parlay ticket at the sportsbook, you’ll likely be interested in the Pick’em games at Underdog.
The Pick’em games are divided into Higher/Lower and Rivals games.
Higher/Lower contests play much like player props at a sportsbook, where you choose whether a player will go over or under a given state line. For example, you could play a contest where you choose whether LeBron James finishes higher or lower than 30.5 points in a given game.
Rivals contests pit two players from a single game against each other in head-to-head contests. You’re tasked with picking which athlete will perform better in a certain statistical category.
Underdog Fantasy Best Ball
Best Ball contests at Underdog Fantasy task you with drafting a team of players for a season-long contest. Only the stats from your top players count.
You compete against other DFS players and try to win your share of the guaranteed prize pool offered in these popular daily fantasy sport contests. Unlike the tournaments on other DFS platforms, there’s no salary cap involved as your draft your fantasy team.
There are no trades, free agents, or waiver wire pickups in the Underdog Best Ball games. You pay the entry fee, draft your team, and try to make it through the season with one of the highest-scoring teams in the contest.
Underdog Fantasy Battle Royale
Battle Royal games play as single-day DFS cash games, with a draft that takes place before the beginning of the day’s games in a given league. The contest ends when the day’s slate of games is finished, and the teams that accumulate the most fantasy points win cash prizes.
Underdog Fantasy Promo
You can sign up for a new Underdog Fantasy account right now and get a 50% deposit match on your initial deposit, up to $250.
Props.com readers can begin the process by clicking on the “CLAIM OFFER” link below.
Whether you’re on desktop or on a mobile device, you can complete the registration process, deposit, start playing DFS games, and unlock the bonus right from the Underdog website.
After you’ve registered, you can download the Underdog app from either the App Store (for iPhone/iPad users) or the Google Play Store (for Android users).
Be sure to enter the promo code “PROPS” when prompted, as this bonus code allows you to unlock the Underdog bonus.
Underdog Fantasy Sign-Up Link
Why Underdog Fantasy
Underdog Fantasy is one of the most popular DFS apps available in the modern sports gaming landscape.
If you’re looking for traditional DFS contests with guaranteed prize pools, Underdog has plenty to offer in that category. The Best Ball games stand out as simple yet entertaining GPP tournaments, and aren’t littered with professional DFS players like most DFS contests of that nature.
Among daily fantasy sports apps, Underdog is the only one to offer both traditional GPP mutliplayer tournaments, as well as Pick’em games. Sports available include the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NHL, and more.
Check out the Props.com full review of Underdog Fantasy.
Sleeper Fantasy
Sleeper Fantasy offers an extensive selection of player props, known as Sleeper Picks. Sleeper Picks contents present the biggest potential payouts available at any U.S. DFS site, going up to a possible 100x your entry fee.
Player Props At Sleeper Fantasy
Navigate to the “Picks” tab at the bottom of the Sleeper Fantasy app lobby to open the menu of Sleeper Picks lines (aka fantasy player prop lines) available for a particular day. Note that the Sleeper Picks games are only available on the mobile app version of Sleeper.
Sleeper’s player props cover all four major U.S. sports leagues, along with college football and basketball.
Sleeper Picks feature individual payout multipliers for each pick. You can place 2-8 picks on a single ticket, and the final payout multiplier is derived from the number of picks and the payout multipliers for each individual pick.
Let’s take a look at an example Picks ticket from a recent day of NFL action:
- Austin Ekeler 49.5 rushing yards – More (1.74x multiplier) or Less (1.81x multiplier)
- Josh Allen 237.5 passing yards – More (1.77x ) or Less (1.77x)
- Tyreek Hill 61.5 receiving yards – More (1.76x) or Less (2.68x multiplier)
- Tony Pollard 0.5 anytime TD – More (1.79x) or Less (1.23x multiplier)
Let’s say you chose the higher payout multiplier on all four of these lines, and created a four-way ticket. The four individual multipliers combined offer a 16.93x payout. Place $100 on this ticket, and you’d get $1,693 if all four picks won.
Sleeper Fantasy Bonus Offer
New players can sign up for a Sleeper Fantasy account through the “CLAIM OFFER” link below, and get a 100% match up to $100 on their first deposit.
Be sure to enter the promo code “PROPS” when prompted to make sure you get your welcome bonus.
Why Sleeper Fantasy
The Sleeper Picks games offer an exciting player props contest type, with the opportunity to win a 100x payout.
No matter what the status of legal sports betting in the Golden State, California sports gamers would do well to make Sleeper Fantasy one of the top choices for sports gaming for years to come.
Check out our Sleeper Fantasy review page.
Boom Fantasy
Boom Fantasy allows you to play DFS games that entirely revolve around the Pick’em format. The Pick’em games at Boom Fantasy are all single-game contests fall into three categories:
Boom Fantasy Toss-Ups
Toss-Ups are available in two formats – Over/Under and Matchups. Over/Under contests task sports fans with choosing whether an athlete will finish over or under a given stat line (i.e. DeMar DeRozan over or under 21.5 points for a given game). Over/Under Pick’em contests very much resemble prop bets at an online sportsbook.
Matchups require that you choose which of two athletes from a particular game will get the better of the other in a particular stat category. For example, you could pick whether Anthony Rizzo or Giancarlo Stanton will take more total bases in a given game.
Boom Fantasy Favorites
Select if a player will go over or under a given line for a certain statistical category (i.e. DeMar DeRozan over 18.5 points) The favorites games only allow to to say yes or no to one side of the line, however.
In the example above, you would play the Over on DeRozan or not play the game at all.
Boom Fantasy Long Shots
Choose if a player will go over a number that exceeds their normal in a given stat category. For example, the Longshot on DeMar DeRozan could be over 30 points.
These games payoff bigger than the other games on Boom Fantasy, but require that your chosen player goes well above and beyond their normal statistical performance.
Boom Fantasy Bonus Offer
You can sign up for Boom Fantasy using the “CLAIM OFFER” or “PLAY NOW” link below, and get a $100 No Sweat Entry to get started at Boom.
You can then use that credit to place a $100 entry on a Boom Fantasy contest.
Boom Fantasy is only available as a mobile app, meaning you’ll have to download the app before you can start playing. If you click the “CLAIM OFFER” link below from a desktop device, you’ll see a QR code that you can scan that redirects you to a link where you can download the app and claim the bonus.
If you click the link below from a mobile device, you’ll be redirected to the App Store or Google Play Store to download the app.
Boom Fantasy Sign-Up Link
Why Boom Fantasy
The games at Boom Fantasy give a great option for prop-betting-style action, and delivers several different and fun takes on that format. You’ll find football DFS contests, MLB DFS, NBA contests, NHL, and more at Boom Fantasy.
The payouts are different for each contest type, with the Favorites games paying 1.3 to 3x based on the number of correct picks, Toss Ups paying 3x to 20x, and the Longshots paying 10x to 40x.
The payout system puts a unique spin on DFS Pick’em games, and if your a fan of player props and parlays you’ll likely enjoy Boom Fantasy.
Check out our comprehensive review of Boom Fantasy.
ParlayPlay
ParlayPlay, like many of the other DFS sites on our list, focuses exclusively on fantasy player props. Like the name suggests, players are tasked with putting together parlay tickets of two or more picks, with the payout multipliers escalating for each correct pick.
The games at ParlayPlay fall into two categories, and all revolve around single-game contests in the most popular DFS sports:
ParlayPlay Hit It
Hit It contests offer several different choices among a range that a player could finish in a certain stat category.
For example, you could play a Hit It contest that requires you to pick how many points Jimmy Butler will score in his next game from the following ranges: 0-18, 19-22, 23-25, 26-29, 30-33, or 34+.
You can put a maximum of two picks on each Hit It parlay. Go 1-for-2 on your pick and you’ll get a 2x payout. Go 2-for-2 and get a 6x payout.
ParlayPlay More/Less
Like the other top daily fantasy sports apps in this guide, ParlayPlay offers totals-style prop games. On ParlayPlay, these games are known as More/Less.
More/Less games task you with putting together a parlay of 2-4 picks, with escalating payouts for more correct picks.
ParlayPlay Bonus Offer
New users can sign up for ParlayPlay with the link below, and claim the current new player sign-up bonus. You’ll get a free $5 entry, plus a 100% deposit match bonus up to $100.
ParlayPlay is available on desktop, and also as a mobile app for Apple iOS and Android devices.
ParlayPlay Sign-Up Link
Why ParlayPlay
ParlayPlay offers a simple but fun format with it’s More/Less games. The Hit It games are unique among DFS game options at the vast majority of other daily fantasy sports sites.
The clean layout and accessibility in more than half of U.S. states makes ParlayPlay a winner on our list of DFS app options.
Check out the Props.com review of ParlayPlay.
OwnersBox
The OwnersBox DFS platform offers the following game types:
- Daily Salary Cap Contests – Salary-cap-style DFS games.
- Lightning Lineups – Choose which preset lineup of athletes will score the most points.
- Create Contests – Create your own DFS Weekly Bracket Contest and invite friends to play.
For more on this DFS app be sure to check out our OwnersBox Review.
OwnersBox Sign-Up Bonus October 2024
The OwnersBox welcome bonus is a 100% first-deposit match bonus of up to $500. That match amount is the highest of any of the California DFS apps listed in this guide.
For an expanded look at the top DFS available throughout the U.S., check out our guide to the Best DFS Sites.
If you’re looking for the top sites for fantasy NFL player props, check out our guide to the Best NFL DFS Apps.
California Sweepstakes Sports Gaming Apps
Fliff
Unlike the other apps in this guide, Fliff doesn’t operate as a DFS app. Fliff functions as a sweepstakes sports picks site, and offers the closest experience to online betting out of any app on this list.
You’ll find traditional mobile betting options like moneyline, point spreads, and over/under lines on Fliff. While you can’t deposit money directly on the Fliff app, you can play sports picks games for sweepstakes credits known as “Fliff Cash.”
Fliff Cash winnings can be redeemed for cash prizes. You can’t directly purchase Fliff Cash credits, but you can earn Fliff Cash as a reward for buying play money credits (Fliff Coins) at Fliff.
Fliff Bonus Offer
Props.com readers can sign up at Fliff right now, and get a 100% match on Fliff Coins purchases up to $100. In other words, purchase a $100 Fliff Coins (play money) package, get $100 in Fliff Cash as the standard reward, and another $100 on top of that as the match bonus.
So if you make a $100 Fliff Coins purchase with the link below, you’ll get $200 in Fliff Cash to start playing the sweepstakes games.
Fliff Sign-Up Link
Why Fliff
Fliff offers the closest experience to what legal online sportsbooks have to offer in other states. Of the apps on this list, Fliff is the only one to offer sports betting in its traditional form.
Fliff’s legal status in California hinges on the fact that it operates as a sweepstakes gaming site. While you can’t technically place bets for real money at Fliff, you can place bets for sweepstakes credits that can be redeemed for cash.
For more on how Fliff operates, check out the Props.com Fliff Review.
California Pro Sports Teams
- San Francisco Giants (MLB)
- LA Dodgers (MLB)
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (MLB)
- San Diego Padres (MLB)
- Oakland Athletics (MLB)
- LA Rams (NFL)
- LA Chargers (NFL)
- San Francisco 49ers (NFL)
- Golden State Warriors (NBA)
- Sacramento Kings (NBA)
- Los Angeles Clippers (NBA)
- Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
- Los Angeles Kings (NHL)
- Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
- San Jose Sharks (NHL)
- LA Galaxy (MLS)
- Los Angeles FC (MLS)
- San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
PrizePicks California FAQ
Can you use PrizePicks in California?
Yes. PrizePicks is one of several legal DFS apps to accept players from California. PrizePicks and other top-rated DFS apps (like Underdog Fantasy, Boom Fantasy, ThriveFantasy, and ParlayPlay) include fantasy prop contests that offer a great alternative to sports betting, particularly if you enjoy prop betting.
Is online sports betting legal in California?
No. Two competing sports betting measures appeared on the November 2022 ballot in California, but neither of those initiatives garnered enough votes to legalize sports betting in California.
For now, the legal DFS apps outlined in this guide (Underdog Fantasy, Boom Fantasy, ThriveFantasy, and ParlayPlay) offer the best legal alternative to sports betting in CA. Sites promoting themselves as legal gambling apps in California are operating as offshore sites, and should be avoided.
Are daily fantasy sports legal in California?
DFS apps operate in somewhat of a gray area in California. The state doesn’t explicitly regulate daily fantasy sports contests, but DFS apps have operated in the Golden State for years. Expect DFS apps like Underdog Fantasy, Boom Fantasy, Thrive Fantasy, and ParlayPlay to offer fantasy sports in California for the foreseeable future.
Is PrizePicks a sports betting app?
No. PrizePicks operates as a daily fantasy sports app, which falls under a different category than sports betting. California law doesn’t explicitly legalize DFS, but no laws exist that outlaw DFS either.
How is PrizePicks not gambling?
PrizePicks is defined as a daily fantasy sports site, and DFS is classified as separate from online gambling from a legal standpoint in most states. While online gambling of any kind (aside from betting on horse racing) is prohibited in the Golden State, DFS apps fall under a different legal category.
What are the best California daily fantasy sports apps?
For the best DFS experience in California, look to apps like Boom Fantasy, Underdog Fantasy, ThriveFantasy, and ParlayPlay. Those daily fantasy sports brands are the only operators to make the cut as the best CA daily fantasy sports sites in the opinions of the experts here at Props.com.