Fantasy football has grown dramatically in recent times. As a result, a much younger audience may get in touch with it. However, many parents may ask, is there an age limit to play daily fantasy sports?
No. If you are looking for free leagues, you can play starting at 13. However, you must be at least 18 years old to play in paid leagues. This age range varies depending on the state and the medium you play fantasy football.
In the article, I will go over it in more detail, such as the different age requirements for the states. And the age restrictions that some fantasy league websites tend to have. Also, I will go over some merits and demerits of introducing it to teenagers. So, please read the article till the end.
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Legal Restriction Based On State And League
The legal restrictions on fantasy football depend on the state. This is because some states view fantasy football as gambling. Let us look at the different age ranges based on the fantasy league. And the states in which they are legal.
FanDuel
FanDuel is legal for daily fantasy football in most states, except for six states. These states include Idaho, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Montana. It is also only legal for use in the United States and Canada.
However, it would help if you were 19 years old to play in Alabama based on the age requirement. But to play in Iowa and Massachusetts, you need to be 21 or over. And it would help if you were at least 18 years old to play in paid leagues in every other state.
DraftKings
Like FanDuel, paid DraftKings is only illegal in 6 states. This is due to their counting it as gambling instead of a skill-based game. As a result, it is unlawful to play DraftKings in Hawaii, Idaho, Arizona, Montana, Nevada, and Washington.
DraftKings is also the only fantasy football platform that has reached beyond America and Canada. These countries include Ireland, Malta, Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
To play DraftKings in most other states, you need to be at least 18 years old. However, you need to be at least 19 years old to play in Nebraska and at least 21 years old from Louisiana, Massachusetts, or Iowa.
Monkey Knife Fight
Monkey Knife Fight is more tightly regulated on fantasy football platforms. As a result, it is restricted in 12 different states, such as Delaware, Iowa, Ohio, Arizona, Hawaii, and other states, including Missouri, Tennessee, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.
In most other states, you need to be at least 18 or older to play on this platform. However, you will still need to be at least 19 in Alabama and Nebraska. Or at least 21 in the state of Massachusetts.
SuperDraft
Another extremely popular fantasy football platform is restricted in 15 different states. The reason behind these restrictions has to do with the lengthy approval process. These platforms need to be applied individually, state by state. Not to mention the large operating fees. As a result, these platforms have opted out of seeking approval in these states.
SuperDraft is restricted in Alabama, Delaware, Tennessee, Arizona, Idaho, Connecticut, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, and Nevada. Other states like Indiana, Montana, Louisiana, Hawaii, Washington, and Pennsylvania have also restricted Superdraft. You must be at least 18 or older to play in this fantasy league in all states.
However, in specific states like Iowa, Mississippi, and Massachusetts, you must be at least 21. But, in other states, you need to be 19 or older to play fantasy football in the SuperDraft.
ESPN Fantasy Football
ESPN fantasy football is only available in America and the district of Columbia. And in the states, you can only play ESPN fantasy football if you have an ESPN account. And these members need to be 16 years or older to play on this platform.
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Should Teenagers Play Fantasy Football?
Above I went over the restriction based on age that fantasy football faces. This is to prevent a younger audience from getting involved in fantasy football. However, this has its reasons. Marketing fantasy football to teenagers has both its merits and Demerits.
One of the biggest advantages of fantasy football is creating new interest in football. After all, football becomes much more interesting if you are playing fantasy football. A completely unimportant game between two teams can have a completely different meaning. As a result, one game can significantly affect your fantasy team, making each game far more interesting.
Another advantage to having a fantasy is getting teenagers more interested in mathematics. To be specific, getting teenagers interested in statistics. In fantasy football, most of the data present itself in statistics.
As a result, anyone who wants to succeed in fantasy football needs to understand statistics and mathematics. A lack of understanding is why a lot of new players fail.
On the other hand, having a great understanding allows you to apply it to the game. And gives you a lead over the competition. You can use formulas and methods to calculate a player’s consistency better. Thus, making teenagers who are usually uninterested in mathematics more involved.
Why Teenagers Shouldn’t Play Daily Fantasy Sports
One of the biggest downsides of fantasy football is its relation to gambling. Often fantasy football sees more and more similarities to gambling. As many people will argue, it is less about skill and more about betting. And the fact that there is money involved in this sport solidifies these people’s claims.
As such, the idea of introducing a sport so closely related to gambling to teenagers becomes very scary. Moreover, much time and money are also spent on this sport to climb the ranks and earn more. As a result, an addiction comparable to a gambling addiction can occur. So, you can see why marketing and having teenagers play it can be bad.
Another sad fact is a loss of team loyalty. Fantasy football may create a newfound interest in football. However, it can also produce bad habits in these new fans. These new fans may often look at the individual player and their performance rather than the team they are playing for.
As a result, you can see them not caring whether the team is winning or not if their specific player scores more or gains points, which is not an excellent mindsight to teach the new generation of football enthusiasts. After all, football is a team sport.
NFL Being Against Marketing Fantasy Football to Children Under 13
The NFL has made its stand clear on this matter. They once tried to promote Fantasy football by adding it to the elementary curriculum. In recent times they have pulled away from such an approach. And they would no longer enlist teachers or schools to teach and promote their game to the younger audience.
As a result, the league has discontinued these programs. And have promised not to take any further steps in the future to market their game to children.
Conclusion
Fantasy football is an exciting game. Can teenagers play fantasy football? No, and there are a decent number of reasons as to why they should not. And many states have even restricted these games based on age because of this, as I mentioned in the article.
I hope you found it to be informative. Thank you for reading. Goodbye and Goodluck.