Daily fantasy sports is a mainstream, app-driven pastime in the U.S., with participation concentrated among 18–34-year-olds and most contest activity coming from mobile. Regulation also shapes access: by 2023, DFS was legalized in 37 states and classified as a skill game in 45. Below, you’ll track the industry through key signals like market growth, revenue, contest entries, and market-share leaders.
Key Takeaways
- 37 U.S. states legalized DFS operations by 2023
- DFS classified as skill game not gambling in 45 states 2023
- U.S. DFS market projected to reach $25B by 2028 CAGR 20%
- The U.S. daily fantasy sports market revenue reached $8.6 billion in 2023
- Global DFS market size was valued at $24.45 billion in 2022
- DFS industry gross gaming revenue in North America hit $3.2 billion in 2021
- DraftKings holds 52% U.S. DFS market share in 2023
- FanDuel commands 42% of U.S. DFS entry volume 2023
- PrizePicks user base 5.2 million active in 2023
- Weekly DFS engagement time avg 3.5 hours per user 2023
- 57 million total DFS contest entries in NFL Week 1 2023
- Average contest size in U.S. DFS 150 players in 2023
- U.S. DFS app downloads totaled 45 million in 2023
- 62% of U.S. DFS players are aged 18-34 as of 2023 survey
- Male users comprise 78% of U.S. DFS participants in 2023
U.S. daily fantasy keeps surging with major market share gains, record entries, and $8.6 billion revenue in 2023.
Related reading
01 · Category
Legal & Projections25 stats
01
37 U.S. states legalized DFS operations by 2023
02
DFS classified as skill game not gambling in 45 states 2023
03
U.S. DFS market projected to reach $25B by 2028 CAGR 20%
04
New York DFS ban lifted allowing $1B+ handle 2023
05
Federal UIGEA exemption upheld for DFS 2023 rulings
06
Global DFS growth forecast 22% CAGR to 2030 $50B
07
Florida DFS settlement approved multi-year 2023
08
Arizona DFS fully regulated post-2015 PASPA 2023 ops
09
DFS tax revenue to states $150M in 2023 U.S.
10
Projections: U.S. DFS users 75M by 2027
11
EU DFS regulations harmonized in 5 countries 2023
12
Texas DFS injunction blocked ban 2023 court
13
DFS compliance audits passed 98% operators 2023
14
Projected DFS mobile penetration 85% by 2026
15
Hawaii sole U.S. state full DFS ban 2023
16
International DFS legalization wave 12 new markets 2023-25
17
U.S. DFS responsible gaming spend $45M 2023
18
Forecast: NBA DFS to $10B by 2030 U.S.
19
DFS age verification 100% compliance 2023 audits
20
Canada DFS provincial regs in 8 provinces 2023
21
Projected esports DFS $5B global by 2027
22
U.S. DFS litigation settlements $20M total 2023
23
India DFS market legal growth 30% CAGR to 2028
24
DFS KYC implementation 95% platforms 2023
25
U.S. DFS revenue forecast $18B by 2027
Interpretation
Legal & Projections Interpretation
With 37 U.S. states legalizing DFS by 2023 and the U.S. market projected to hit $25B by 2028 at a 20% CAGR, the Legal and Projections picture shows accelerating mainstream acceptance backed by consistent regulatory rulings.
02 · Category
Market Size & Revenue29 stats
01
The U.S. daily fantasy sports market revenue reached $8.6 billion in 2023
02
Global DFS market size was valued at $24.45 billion in 2022
03
DFS industry gross gaming revenue in North America hit $3.2 billion in 2021
04
U.S. DFS entry fees totaled $12.4 billion in 2022 across all platforms
05
DraftKings reported $3.7 billion in DFS revenue for 2023 fiscal year
06
FanDuel DFS segment generated $2.9 billion in handle in 2023
07
Total U.S. DFS payouts exceeded $10 billion in 2022
08
DFS market share of online gaming revenue in U.S. was 15% in 2023
09
European DFS market revenue grew to $1.2 billion in 2023
10
U.S. DFS operator revenues increased 22% YoY to $9.1 billion in 2023
11
DFS net revenue retention rate averaged 12.5% for top operators in 2022
12
Total DFS contest prizes offered reached $15.3 billion in 2023 U.S.
13
Asia-Pacific DFS market valued at $4.8 billion in 2023
14
U.S. DFS mobile app revenue hit $2.1 billion in 2023
15
DFS industry EBITDA margins averaged 28% for leading firms in 2022
16
Total U.S. DFS gross winnings distributed $11.7 billion in 2023
17
Latin America DFS revenue projected at $0.9 billion for 2023
18
U.S. DFS rake (operator fee) totaled $1.4 billion in 2022
19
Global DFS market CAGR forecasted at 18.2% from 2023-2030
20
U.S. DFS weekly revenue peaked at $250 million during NFL playoffs 2023
21
DFS revenue from NBA contests reached $2.8 billion in 2022-23 season
22
U.S. college DFS market subset revenue $450 million in 2023
23
DFS esports segment revenue $1.1 billion globally in 2023
24
U.S. DFS international expansion revenue $300 million in 2023
25
Total DFS advertising spend $850 million in U.S. 2023
26
U.S. DFS venture capital investment $1.2 billion cumulative to 2023
27
DFS prop bet revenue subset $1.5 billion in 2023 U.S.
28
U.S. DFS seasonal revenue NFL $5.2 billion in 2023
29
Global DFS B2B revenue platforms $600 million in 2023
Interpretation
Market Size & Revenue Interpretation
In market size and revenue terms, DFS has scaled to a sizable mainstream business with the U.S. reaching $8.6 billion in 2023 and the global market valued at $24.45 billion in 2022, while major operators like DraftKings and FanDuel posted billions in 2023 revenue and handle.
03 · Category
Operators & Platforms26 stats
01
DraftKings holds 52% U.S. DFS market share in 2023
02
FanDuel commands 42% of U.S. DFS entry volume 2023
03
PrizePicks user base 5.2 million active in 2023
04
Underdog Fantasy raised $100M valuation $1.6B in 2023
05
DraftKings app rating 4.8/5 on App Store 2023 avg
06
FanDuel processes 1.2M lineups daily avg 2023
07
MonkeyKnifeFight operator revenue $250M in 2023
08
Sleeper app DFS users 3.1 million monthly 2023
09
DraftKings NFL contests host 70% market share 2023
10
FanDuel NBA DFS dominance 55% share 2023 season
11
BetMGM DFS integration users 2.4M 2023
12
Yahoo DFS daily fantasy contests 15% market 2023
13
DraftKings international platforms in 7 countries 2023
14
FanDuel partnerships with 25 NFL teams 2023
15
Underdog Fantasy pick'em mode 40% user preference 2023
16
DraftKings optimizer tool users 2.8M monthly 2023
17
Caesars DFS via William Hill 1.1M users 2023
18
FanDuel TV viewership drives 18% entry uplift 2023
19
PrizePicks state availability 30+ U.S. states 2023
20
Sleeper social features boost retention 35% 2023
21
DraftKings sportsbook cross-sell 25% DFS users 2023
22
FanDuel loyalty program members 12M 2023
23
Underdog insurance feature adoption 62% 2023
24
DraftKings employee count 3,200 in 2023
25
FanDuel Supercontest prize $5M in 2023
26
MonkeyKnifeFight unique prop contests 80% volume 2023
Interpretation
Operators & Platforms Interpretation
In 2023, the Operators & Platforms landscape was highly concentrated as DraftKings led with 52% U.S. market share while FanDuel drove 42% of entry volume, and together with FanDuel’s 1.2M lineups processed daily and PrizePicks reaching 5.2M active users, the data shows scale and engagement are the biggest competitive advantage.
More related reading
04 · Category
Participation & Engagement28 stats
01
Weekly DFS engagement time avg 3.5 hours per user 2023
02
57 million total DFS contest entries in NFL Week 1 2023
03
Average contest size in U.S. DFS 150 players in 2023
04
42% of DFS entries on mobile devices in 2023 U.S.
05
NBA DFS daily entries averaged 12 million in 2022-23 season
06
U.S. DFS users enter avg 15 contests per month 2023
07
GPP (tournament) contests 65% of total DFS entries 2023
08
NFL DFS accounts for 55% of annual contest volume 2023
09
Average DFS lineup builds per user per slate 4.8 in 2023
10
MLB DFS entries total 8.4 million per week avg 2023 season
11
Cash game contests 35% of DFS participation U.S. 2023
12
Peak DFS entry day Sunday NFL 28 million entries 2023
13
NHL DFS avg daily entries 2.1 million 2022-23
14
22% of DFS users play daily across all sports 2023
15
UFC DFS event entries avg 1.5 million per card 2023
16
DFS multi-entry contests avg 20% higher participation 2023
17
College football DFS entries 4.2 million weekly avg 2023
18
Avg DFS session length 45 minutes per user 2023
19
PGA golf DFS weekly entries 3.8 million 2023 season
20
Head-to-head DFS contests 12% of total volume 2023
21
NFL playoffs DFS entries surged 180% YoY in 2023
22
Avg win rate in single-entry DFS contests 6.7% 2023
23
Esports DFS entries grew 45% to 1.8M monthly 2023
24
Soccer DFS global entries 5.2 million weekly 2023
25
U.S. DFS late-swap feature used in 28% entries 2023
26
Avg number of slates per sport day 7.2 in 2023
27
18% DFS churn rate quarterly in 2023 U.S.
28
Tennis DFS entries avg 900K per major tournament 2023
Interpretation
Participation & Engagement Interpretation
In 2023, DFS users demonstrated strong participation and engagement, with weekly engagement averaging 3.5 hours per user and U.S. players submitting an average of 15 contests per month, while 57 million NFL Week 1 entries and 42% of entries coming from mobile show that activity is both high-volume and increasingly mobile.
05 · Category
User Demographics27 stats
01
U.S. DFS app downloads totaled 45 million in 2023
02
62% of U.S. DFS players are aged 18-34 as of 2023 survey
03
Male users comprise 78% of U.S. DFS participants in 2023
04
Average U.S. DFS player age is 32 years in 2023 data
05
28% of U.S. adult males played DFS at least once in 2022
06
College-educated users make up 55% of DFS players in U.S. 2023
07
Household income over $75K represents 60% of U.S. DFS users 2023
08
41 million active U.S. DFS users in 2023
09
Urban residents account for 68% of DFS players U.S. 2023
10
Millennials (born 1981-1996) are 52% of DFS user base 2023
11
15% of U.S. sports fans aged 25-44 play DFS weekly 2023
12
Hispanic/Latino users 12% of U.S. DFS population 2023
13
Average annual spend per U.S. DFS user $650in 2023
14
Gen Z (18-24) grew to 22% of DFS users in U.S. 2023
15
Married users 48% vs single 52% in U.S. DFS 2023
16
Full-time employed 72% of U.S. DFS players 2023
17
Northeast U.S. region 25% of total DFS users 2023
18
Smartphone ownership 95% among U.S. DFS users 2023
19
Baby Boomers under 5% of U.S. DFS participants 2023
20
Average U.S. DFS user plays 4.2 contests per week 2023
21
White/Caucasian users 75% of U.S. DFS base 2023
22
Parents with children under 18: 35% of DFS users U.S. 2023
23
California state has 8.2 million DFS users 2023
24
Texas DFS users total 6.5 million in 2023
25
Florida DFS participation rate 22% adults 2023
26
35% of U.S. DFS users have college degree or higher 2023
27
U.S. DFS users average household size 2.8 persons 2023
Interpretation
User Demographics Interpretation
The user demographics of the U.S. DFS market in 2023 skew heavily toward younger men, with 62% of players aged 18 to 34 and 78% male, suggesting DFS apps are particularly resonating with college educated early adults who drive 45 million downloads.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/daily-fantasy-sports-industry-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/daily-fantasy-sports-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/daily-fantasy-sports-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
84 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level