Alabama is one of the latest states to sign a dedicated Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) legislation into law. This is great news for local fans, who have been waiting years for their chance to compete with the rest of the nation in one of the most popular gaming hobbies in the U.S.A! Keep reading to find out more about how DFS has taken the state by storm.

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Online Daily Fantasy Sports in Alabama – Overview

The road to legalizing Daily Fantasy Sports in Alabama hasn’t been easy. In 2016, Alabama’s Attorney General Luther Strange ordered all DFS operators to stop their operations, deeming DFS betting to be illegal as it related to the state’s gambling laws. Since then, there were numerous attempts to bring in legislation to overturn this ruling, but none of them were successful until 2019, when a bill that would declare DFS as a game of skill and therefore legal, would pass through the Senate with overwhelming support.

The bill was signed in to law in May 2019 by State Governor Kay Ivey. It demands that operators pay an annual registration fee of $85,000 to the state, as well as a 10.5 percent tax on their revenue. It’s only a matter of time before DFS operators return to the state, but when they do, these are a number of sports that will be available to bet on in Alabama’s DFS leagues.

Online Daily Fantasy NFL – A Money-Making Touchdown

The NFL Fantasy League is perhaps the most popular of all DFS leagues. Each week, players can draft their favorite 9 NFL stars into their lineup in either public or private contests, their selections determined only by what their salary allows. Cash prizes are won at the end of every week. As Alabama residents love NFL, this is sure to be the most popular league when operators return to the state.

Online Daily Fantasy NBA – A Slam Dunk Winner

In NBA Fantasy, players are asked to draft a lineup of 8 players from at least two different NBA games within a salary cap of $50,000. Contests are won by having the highest total points scored by your chosen players, e.g. 2 points for a steal, 1.5 points for an assist. Although Alabama has no teams in the NBA, NBA Fantasy is bound to be popular in Alabama due to its long history of sending local talent to the professional league.

Online Daily Fantasy MLB – A Home Run To The Bank

In MLB Fantasy, players will be asked to draft a Player Pool of 10 players to play against their competition. The players must be on that week’s playing roster, have no more than 5 hitters per team and be scheduled in at least two different MLB games. Scoring is varied, including 10 points for a home run, 5 points for stealing bases, etc. As the birthplace of some of Baseball’s biggest stars including Willie Mays, Alabama players are sure to love the MLB Fantasy League.

Online Daily Fantasy MSL – Goals and Gold!

The MSL Fantasy League asks players to draft a lineup of 8 players from at least two different games. There are a number of interesting rules to the Major Soccer League games, but like other DFS sports, contests are won by scoring points, e.g. Goals score 10 points while Red Cards earn -3. While Soccer is not the most popular sport in Alabama, the state is home to a number of semi-professional teams that still have earned a loyal fanbase – giving residents a lot to be excited for in playing their favorite local players in DFS.

College Football – Alabama Crimson Tide

While Alabama doesn’t have any major professional league sports teams, the state is home to some of the most exciting and promising college talent in the whole of the USA. The University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team has sent 365 players to the NFL, eight of whom have been elected to the Football Hall of Fame. As one of the most celebrated and successful teams in the whole NCAA’s history, the Crimson Tide have won 17 national championships since their founding in 1892.

An institution in Alabama that has become ingrained into the state’s identity, there’s no denying that players in Alabama’s college football teams will be highly sought after in nationwide college DFS lineups.

Timeline of Daily Fantasy Sports Legislation

The road to legalization of daily fantasy league has been a long one, but finally, Alabama’s residents will be able to enjoy their fantasy play legally. Below is a timeline of the legal history of not just daily fantasy league legalization, but gambling in the state in general – from horse racing to bingo. For more information on gambling in Alabama, visit our dedicated Alabama gambling page.

Legal Daily Fantasy Betting Age in Alabama

The gambling age laws in Alabama are varied. While the legal gambling age in Alabama at casinos and racing tracks outside of the Greene and Maine counties is 18 years old, playing bingo, Daily Fantasy Sports and gambling at racing tracks in the Greene and Mobile counties is 19 years old.

If a player is caught gambling underage, it is considered a Class A misdemeanor and is punishable with no longer than a year in prison or a fine of $6,000.

• DFS Betting Age
  Players must be 19 years old to partake in DFS in Alabama.
• Alcohol Age
  You must be 21 years old to drink alcohol in Alabama.
• Weed Age
  Recreational smoking of cannabis is still illegal in Alabama.

Is Daily Fantasy Betting Legal Outside of the State?

Daily Fantasy League betting is now legal in most states in the USA, with only six states yet to legalize it left. These include Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, and Washington. None of these states border Alabama. The main resistance to DFS in these states is that it is still considered by many to be a game of chance, whereas most experts seem to agree that the knowledge necessary to be good at betting makes it a game of skill. Meanwhile Daily fantasy betting in Ohio continues to be served by some of the top betting providers in the US.

The popularity of DFS is steadily increasing across the world, although it still the most popular in the US, with 10% of the population now playing. In comparison, the UK only has 5% of its population playing.

The Best Fantasy Sports App in Alabama

Thankfully, Fantasy Sports betting is not limited to desktop browsers. Most major platforms have created apps that allow players to complete all major functions of DFS betting. This makes playing not only faster but more convenient. While Draft Kings and FanDuel are yet to recommence operations in Alabama, it is only a matter of time before they will be. Based on our experience, we recommend the Draft Kings app the most for DFS betting.

Taxes on Daily Fantasy Winnings: Legal Overview

Your winnings from DFS are subject to both federal and state taxes in Alabama. Gambling winnings are fully taxable at a rate of 25% for federal taxes, and state taxes consider gambling winnings to be classed as income and are taxed accordingly to residents’ tax classes. For more info, visit the website of the IRS or the Alabama Department of Revenue.

Upcoming Regulation Changes to Be Aware Of

As the legislation has just been passed, the first few years of legalized DFS may be subject to a number of changes in tax rates or limitations on what sports can be bet on. For example, some experts have expressed concerns about legalizing sports betting on college games because it could put unnecessary pressure on students. This is likely to not be the case in fantasy betting, but it remains to be seen how players will interact with the games. Also, as DFS is only projected to bring $4 million in tax revenue to the state, it is possible that tax rates could change to increase this.

Gambling Guides for Nearby States

• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Mississippi
• Florida