Launched in late 2017, Draftboard is a rare newcomer to the daily fantasy sports industry. Rather than trying to compete with DFS giants DraftKings and FanDuel, Draftboard’s focus is on “Providing the absolute best environment for daily fantasy sports fans to compete in.”

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Let’s dive right into our Draftboard review.

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Draftboard History

It’s no surprise Draftboard is taking a purposeful and unique approach to DFS given it was founded by professional poker player Phil Galfond. Most often recognized by his Full Tilt Poker nickname, “OMGClayAiken”, Galfond is a highly successful online poker player known for his innovative and unpredictable style of play.

Galfond, along with co-founder and CEO Dan Quinn, hope that Draftboard becomes the most sustainable, enjoyable version of DFS in the marketplace. Speaking recently, Galfond summed up his year-old venture:

“When you’re drafting a team and entering contests, the only opponents you should need to think about are the ones on the field. Fans have been up against some pretty steep odds in this industry. We’re giving them another option.”

Draftboard hopes to achieve a more level playing field for users through its Fair Match™ contest entry system, and more enjoyable experience via its visually impressive Live sweating dashboard.

Draftboard Software

Currently, Draftboard is a web-only platform, but the user experience is extremely simple, smooth and intuitive. You won’t struggle to find what you’re looking for, create a team or enter a contest on Draftboard.

Creating an account is as simple as entering an email address and a screen name, after which you’ll be immediately credited with a free dollar.

Get your RotoGrinders Exclusive Draftboard bonus offer: Deposit $20 and get a $20 match!

In order to play on Draftboard, you’ll have to turn on your browser’s location services. If you’re unsure how to turn on location services, Draftboard has a handy guide available right on the site.

Draftboard Game Offerings and Features

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Once you’re logged in, you can jump into a contest by selecting a sport and a skill level.

Draftboard offers contests for NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. Games are all salary-cap based, and range from head-to-head (H2H) matches, 50/50s and Tourneys (GPPs). For all sports, lineups consist of eight players and a $50,000 salary cap.

Fair Match™

One of the main ways Draftboard differentiates its DFS offering is through the Fair Match™ system, which automatically manages the way lineups are entered into contests.

The first level of the Fair Match™ system categorizes users as Rookies or Veterans. Rookies enter a lobby with buy-ins ranging from $1-$5, while veterans can select from contests $10 and above. Players can only enter contests from one of these lobbies per day, not both, so lower stakes casual players can avoid playing against high stakes regulars.

Additionally, the Fair Match™ system enters contests for users, which differs from the conventional contest entry method where users select the exact contests they enter. The goal is of system is to, as much as possible, match first entries with first entries, second entries with second entries, and so on. Contests won’t run with less than 10 entries – when this happens, remaining entries are simply refunded. Here’s a visualization of the dispersion of entries:

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Draftboard Live

Whereas the Fair Match™ system attempts to innovative contest entry and fairness in the name of game sustainability, Draftboard Live’s goal is much simpler: to get players to sweat their contests right on the Draftboard platform.

Based on first impressions, Dratfboard may very well achieve that goal, as the Live section of the platform is truly impressive. Here’s a peek:

The level of detail is incredible, and the function is as good, if not better, than some of the league-owned gamecast areas. Over the course of the relatively short history of DFS sites not named DraftKings or FanDuel, there haven’t been many true innovations. Draftboard has taken a step toward changing that narrative, and it may be the reason it eventually finds a footing alongside the two titans of the industry.

Draftboard Customer Service and Support

The Draftboard support team is easily reachable and responsive via email: support@draftboard.com.

Draftboard Banking

Before a deposit can be made, Draftboard needs to verify the identity of its users, which is done quickly and easily through the site’s verification process, or by contacting support.

Once you’re verified, deposits can be made by PayPal or credit card (both processed through PayPal). All Draftboard withdrawals are sent via PayPal.

Can I play on Draftboard?

In order to play on Draftboard, you must be 18 years of age (21 in Massachusetts, or 19 for residents of Nebraska or Canada). Draftboard only accepts players from the US and Canada, though the game cannot be played from any of the following states:

Alabama
Arizona
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New York
Pennsylvania
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Washington

Overall Draftboard Review

We give Draftboard our full recommendation. At less than a year old, the player pools leave a lot to be desired. But the amount of players on the platform is growing, and with exceptionally innovative features like the Fair Match™ and Draftboard Live, we could see these guys becoming a real player in the DFS industry.

Draftboard just needs more people to try its game. And once they do, word is going to quickly spread about how great it is to have a level playing field and the ability to sweat gamecast-style right from your DFS platform. Draftboard offers a truly unique DFS experience, and is worth checking out.

Get your RotoGrinders Exclusive Draftboard bonus offer: Deposit $20 and get a $20 match!

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