Daily Fantasy Sports
StatHero Introduces Rivals: The First Ever Daily Fantasy Sportsbook

Player vs. the House-style game to transform industry landscape and elevate DFS to a sportsbook experience
StatHero, an innovative leader in the Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) industry, known for its fantasy survivor pools and leveling the playing field for its customers, announced the launch of Rivals, StatHero’s Daily Fantasy Sportsbook — a new DFS game format allowing users to play 1-on-1 against StatHero (the House). Rivals is unlike most DFS games that require users to play within a larger group, making it the first game of skill DFS sportsbook on the market. StatHero’s Rivals structure mimics a true sportsbook with no edits, time stamps, and dynamic odds. Players just set their buy-in and create the best line-up under the salary cap to beat StatHero’s line-up.
Rivals currently has live games for the NBA, PGA, NHL and the NFL playoffs, and is operational in the 32 states that StatHero is available. This national launch provides users in states where sports betting is not legal, like California, Florida and Texas, a sportsbook experience while playing a game of skill.
Rivals distinguishes itself by giving users the ability to:
- Play 1-on-1 against the House: Users play against the House, rather than thousands of other users. If a user’s line-up beats StatHero’s, they win. The prize goes directly to the winner and is not split amongst a group.
- Examine lineups before the game: StatHero will reveal their lineups in their entirety before each scheduled game. This is an advantageous feature for users that helps them gain better insight into creating the strongest line-up possible to beat StatHero.
- The user sets the stakes: The object of the game is winner take-all, line-up vs. line-up, the Player vs. the House.
“For years, DFS players have yearned for an opportunity to control their own fate. A game focused on the individual, rather than beating thousands. A 1-on-1 game versus the House creates an experience that operates just like a sportsbook, giving users in states where betting isn’t legal the experience that they’ve been clamoring for,” said StatHero CEO Jason Jaramillo. “We at StatHero are excited to provide our users with the most innovative DFS platform on the market that provides greater value, more opportunities to win, and an enhanced experience that will reshape the future of DFS.”
For more information on StatHero, please visit www.StatHero.com
Daily Fantasy Sports
PrizePicks Named Official Daily Fantasy Partner of The Houston Astros

PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, announced that it has been named the Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner of the Houston Astros. The multi-year partnership features digital and in-stadium activations at Daikin Park, building on the DFS leader’s growing presence around Major League Baseball.
As part of the partnership, PrizePicks branding will be showcased prominently throughout Daikin Park with featured static and rotational signage throughout the ballpark. PrizePicks will also be featured on the Astros Radio Network with sponsored “More or Less” segments prior to each game.
“This partnership is all about bringing more fun and bigger rewards to PrizePicks players in Houston,” said Mike Quigley, Chief Marketing Officer at PrizePicks. “We’re rolling out new promotions and experiences that make following the Astros even more exciting for fans — both at the ballpark and at home.”
PrizePicks will also collaborate with the Astros on a special City Connect Monday promotion supporting the team’s Monday home games. As the Astros wear their Nike City Connect uniforms, the team will provide fans a chance to win a $10,000 free PrizePicks lineup and tickets to a future Astros game to watch their picks live at Daikin Park.
“We are thrilled to add PrizePicks as an official Astros partner,” says Matt Richardson, Vice President Corporate Partnerships. “PrizePicks continues to invest in Major League Baseball and is committed to engaging fantasy sports fans in both a responsible and fun way.”
As PrizePicks continues to expand to new markets, investment into responsible gaming remains a key focus. In 2025, PrizePicks was awarded iCAP accreditation by the NCPG for its responsible gaming practices and efforts, becoming the first and only fantasy sports operator to earn the certification. For more information visit, www.prizepicks.com/responsible-gaming.
Daily Fantasy Sports
Assessing the esports DFS opportunity in the US

Oliver Niner, Head of B2B says that DFS remains a compelling vertical with huge growth potential especially if operators expand their offering into esports
The roll out of legal online and mobile sports betting across US states has presented a significant opportunity for operators, but the market has proved harder to crack than many anticipated.
The cost of customer acquisition is skyrocketing, building brand equity is taking much longer than expected, and there’s been a slowdown in new states embracing regulation and licensing.
This has led to a run of operators exiting the market as the numbers simply don’t add up.
But while this is happening, the daily fantasy sports space continues to thrive and remains a compelling opportunity for operators.
DFS has a unique legal standing in many states where sports betting is still restricted, allowing operators to reach audiences they otherwise couldn’t.
It also fosters deeper engagement with those who play – players aren’t just betting on outcomes; they’re actively managing lineups and pitting their knowledge and skills against others.
This is the perfect combination for retention and loyalty – something sportsbooks struggle to achieve with players easily swayed to join another brand simply because of a generous free bets offer.
There’s also an untapped opportunity in bringing the worlds of esports and daily fantasy sports together, allowing operators to connect with an entirely new audience.
Until now, traditional DFS brands have focused on the major sports, but the younger, digital-native audiences are more interested in esports such as CS2 and LoL than the NFL.
Why the DFS model works:
Before discussing how operators can get in on the esports DFS action, it’s important to understand why the DFS model works so well in the US, especially for those looking to diversify their offering.
The first is regulatory accessibility. DFS is legal in more states than traditional sports betting, allowing operators to enter markets where sportsbook licensing is unavailable or complex.
DFS has much lower acquisition costs while serving as a gateway to paid gaming. It often attracts a younger, more engaged audience at a lower CPA compared to traditional sports betting.
Strong user retention is another upside. Unlike one-off bets, DFS players return regularly to manage lineups, track stats and compete in contests, driving retention rates way beyond sports betting.
It’s also esports ready. Esports fans are highly engaged with player performance stats, making DFS a natural fit. It can then serve as an introduction to real-money esports betting when regulations allow.
The esports DFS opportunity to be explored:
DFS is an established and thriving vertical and while some operators offer esports within their proposition, it often lacks depth, innovation and mainstream adoption.
Esports fans are naturally engaged with stats, player performance metrics and in-game analytics, so easily segue into the DFS format.
Titles like LoL, CS2, Dota 2 and Valorant offer rich data sets that allow for creative and competitive fantasy formats, but most operators are yet to really get into it.
This leaves a major gap in the market and a huge opportunity for those who put together a compelling esports DFS product, especially as the popularity of esports betting grows.
What a compelling esports DFS product looks like:
The foundation of any esports DFS product is reliable, real-time data and the ability to provide a range of engaging contest formats.
This is where companies such as PandaScore come in. We provide operators with comprehensive esports data including player and team stats across all the major disciplines.
We supplement this with accurate odds and DFS pricing models, helping operators to set accurate and competitive odds – both our data and odds feeds are integrated seamlessly via API.
We also provide unrivalled market expertise; the team has years of experience powering esports betting which we leverage to ensure our partners can succeed with esports DFS.
In addition to markets and odds, players need to be able to access deep performance metrics so they can make informed decisions.
It’s also important for the operator to provide a smooth and intuitive experience via a seamless UX and mobile first approach to site and app navigation.
The diversity of the contests offered needs to be considered, too. This includes classic salary cap formats as well as pick’em games and more.
It goes without saying that social interaction needs to be baked into the experience through features such as leaderboards, private leagues and head-to-head challenges.
Operators need to get ahead in a rapidly evolving market:
The US sports betting and iCasino market is fast moving with the landscape constantly changing – just look at the conversation around sweepstakes casinos.
For me, DFS and especially esports DFS remain an underutilised growth channel that operators need to take advantage of.
As esports betting gains traction – PandaScore recently surpassed €1bn in bets through its platform – DFS serves as a vital entry point through which operators can build brand recognition and engage a digital-first audience primed and ready to play.
This audience might not be familiar with real-money betting today, but by providing them with an experience they are familiar and comfortable with, they can become the bettors of tomorrow.
At PandaScore, we are here to help operators capitalise on this opportunity with best-in-class data, pricing models and strategic support.
For operators, this means the numbers will always add up when it comes to esports daily fantasy sports.
Daily Fantasy Sports
PrizePicks Appoints Mike Quigley as Chief Marketing Officer to Drive Brand Growth and Player Engagement

PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, announced the appointment of Mike Quigley as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Reporting directly to PrizePicks Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mike Ybarra, Quigley will be responsible for further building out a best-in-class marketing organization and overseeing brand vision, go-to-market strategy, campaign development and overall marketing efforts across the company.
“Mike Quigley is a renowned marketing and gaming executive with tremendous experience in driving player engagement, launching campaign activations and scaling successful brands,” said Mike Ybarra, CEO of PrizePicks. “His deep expertise in digital marketing, combined with his player-first mindset, makes him the ideal leader to help us further elevate the PrizePicks brand and engage our passionate players.”
Quigley is a seasoned marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in the gaming industry with a focus on user acquisition, community engagement, and player retention. Most recently, Quigley served as the CMO at Niantic, where he led global marketing efforts for the company’s real-world augmented reality games, including the blockbuster mobile game, Pokémon GO. Prior to Niantic, he was Director of Consumer Marketing at Google/YouTube, managing the marketing strategy and execution of campaigns for both original programming and live-stream events including Coachella and SXSW. Quigley also spent 11 years at Electronic Arts where he served as Group VP of Global Marketing for the EA Games Label.
Quigley said, “I’m thrilled to join PrizePicks at such an exciting time. I admire their relentless focus on exceeding player expectations and creating experiences that keep players engaged. The team’s commitment to deliver fun, innovative gameplay to sports fans is what sets PrizePicks apart and I look forward to working together to amplify those experiences for our players.”
As PrizePicks continues to expand to new markets, investment into responsible gaming remains a key focus. PrizePicks is proud to provide resources to help players enjoy our games responsibly.
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