Daily fantasy sports app/website Bettle Fantasy Sports has been granted a license to operate in Ohio.
The peer-to-peer fantasy platform allows users to put their fantasy teams from various platforms up for head-to-head contests outside their standard leagues.
Bettle becomes the 18th licensed fantasy contest in Ohio. The Ohio Casino Control Commission has been largely focused on launching sports betting in Ohio in recent months but still regulates the fantasy industry.
Ohio legalized daily fantasy sports (DFS) in 2017.
Bettle lets users import season-long fantasy teams
Based in the Boston area, Bettle Fantasy Sports launched in 2020 and is currently available in over two dozen states.
Bettle lets users import their season-long MLB, NFL and NBA fantasy teams from outside fantasy sites like Yahoo, ESPN and Sleeper. So instead of waiting to see how your chosen fantasy team fares at the end of the season, users can take their team to Bettle and challenge other fantasy team owners for unlimited weekly matchups.
Once the lineup is set, Bettle Fantasy Sports users enter the platform’s “MatchMaker arena,” which supports head-to-head matchups in which Bettle standardizes rules, scoring and lineups so that teams from different leagues (with potentially differing rules) can compete on a level playing field.
To participate in MatchMaker matchups, users present their starting lineup, the maximum dollar amount they are willing to spend on a single bet and their “Active Bankroll,” the maximum dollar amount they are willing to spend in the MatchMaker arena.
Peer-to-peer fantasy and betting platforms
Bettle operates in a similar fashion as some of the newer peer-to-peer betting platforms and exchanges, which allow users to enter into head-to-head bets with other users for their choice of odds and stakes. There are currently no peer-to-peer sportsbooks operating in Ohio, but one such platform, Prophet Exchange, initially applied for an Ohio sports betting license through the OCCC last year.
Prophet Exchange allows users to post their own lines and bet amounts in search of a counterpart. Others users then shop on Prophet Exchange for lines that will differ from those posted at sportsbooks, essentially looking for someone offering an alternate line with a bet amount one feels comfortable with.
Bettle functions in a similar way, allowing users to shop around with their fantasy teams looking for a one-day or one-week counterpart.
Prophet Exchange has since withdrawn its Ohio application. It is currently only active in New Jersey. Bettle is now licensed in 27 states.
Bettle claims to be only fantasy app with a “social focus”
Matches are presented to users kind of like a dating site — Bettle in fact has promoted itself as being “like a dating app for fantasy managers.” Once the user accepts the match, they are presented with details like the entry fee, odds boosts, start date and bet amount.
With its swipe-right pairings and internal chat features, Bettle has described itself as “the only fantasy app with a social focus.”
Bettle Fantasy Sports founder and CEO Ty Masterson explains the MatchMaker experience thusly at Bettle’s website:
“People spend hours a week managing their season-long fantasy team like a second job, but those teams are confined to their leagues: one opponent per week, prizes only at the end of the season, and only for the winners. MatchMaker is a gamified, ‘Tinder for Fantasy’ experience that opens the aperture for your season-long fantasy team, where users can find other, similarly matched teams from all over Bettle to compete against week over week for real money.”
Bettle joins robust daily fantasy sports market in Ohio
Bettle is currently offering a $25 signup bonus for new customers to use to bet in their first matches. Bettle also offers $10 bonuses for new signup referrals.
Bettle Fantasy Sports is now one of 18 fantasy contest operators currently active in the Ohio market.
In Ohio, Bettle joins a range of daily fantasy sports sites/apps, from the larger operators like Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel to more niche offerings like the MMA-focused Verdict.