One of the latest fantasy football games to have gained a lot of attention recently is FantasyBet. This is because the DFS offers very new and unique ways of engaging in fantasy football. One of the key factors that separate FantasyBet is that it's very simple, replicating the FPL (Fantasy Premier League) with regard to scoring and rules.
Another important feature is the customisation of leagues. You have the opportunity to create your own contests based on single matches and games from the previous week. You can even choose players based on your preferences. So, if you want your league to be free of players from certain teams, you can have that.
How it works
Let's begin by looking at the gameplay and scoring of FantasyBet. It's simple, and those who have experience with FPL (Fantasy Premier League) will recognise it instantly. You have the same requirement to create a 15-person squad. This includes four substitutes, a captain, a vice-captain and a starting 11.
The scoring is also similar to FPL. However, the key difference is that the bonus points are allocated differently. Even so, it is still performance-based and relies on the same statistical model used by the FPL.
Of course, there are a few changes. The initial player prices are currently the same as FPL and will stay that way till a transfer window realignment occurs.
Another major change is that the Fantasy Managers can now use a number of players from a team when and if the pool of teams starts to see a drop in numbers. So, for a league that's based on a single match, around 15 players can be chosen from one side if you feel that they can get the job done.
FantasyBet's similarities with FPL make it instantly recognisable, and there is a lot of flexibility it offers, which is highly appealing. There are entry price leagues and free-to-enter contests. Though you are allowed to only have one team per league, you can enter them as many times as you want, and you can enter the same ones in multiple leagues.
Apart from the above-mentioned information, it's interesting to know that FantasyBet even offers its own leagues, known as “Guaranteed Games.” They offer a cast-iron minimum payment. You can find the leagues under the fine games section.
Users are provided with live point updates during the matches, which is another appealing feature.
How to set it up
The first step you need to take is to create your lineup or team. You can enter into cash competitions only after that. As stated earlier, you will need a squad of 15 players, but only 11 will start on the field. The rest are substitutes.
You will also have to organise salaries in line with the £100M budget, especially when drafting the players in positions such as defence, goalkeeping, attack and midfielding. Once you have an idea of who is doing what, you can start making adjustments to your initial 11 line-up to meet your preferences.
For instance, you can have the following positions as part of the starting rotation:
- 3 to 5 defenders
- 1 to 3 attackers
- 3 to 5 midfielders
- 1 goalkeeper
You also have various game setups to look at. There are differences in the competition rules and the payout structure changes in accordance with the type of game. In comparison to many of the fantasy sports sites out there, FantasyBet offers the option of either being able to play for cash games or tournaments.
In the cash games, you can opt to either play with one person or a group of contestants. An example of the former would be a head-to-head match, while an example of the latter would be a league match. Head-to-head matches almost always offer a 'winner takes all' payout feature. League matches usually show differences in payout.
So, when you play in a league with ten players, you can opt for a match that doubles the top 5 performers, a winner takes all approach or a progression percentage. The progression percentage payout approach awards those in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place with a percentage relative to their position.
This payout system is very common in major leagues and tournaments. Once you get used to the varying set-ups, you can experiment with FantasyBet's Tooltips feature to alter the setting in line with your preferences.
Progressional payouts are often seen in tournaments or bigger sized leagues. Once you have gotten used to the different set-ups, try using FantasyBet's Tooltips feature to customise any of the settings fully to your preference.
As for the scoring system, FantasyBet relies on bets, that is, in order to determine you as a winner, your team has to simply score more than the opponent. The scoring system at FantasyBet is divided into player bonus points and player action points.
So, as the number of matches takes place, every action made by your players is taken into consideration and used to calculate a score.
Prizes on offer
FantasyBet offers a 200% deposit bonus to new customers. All you have to do is enter the promotion code TRIPLE when you make the first deposit. Once you do that, your bonus money, which can be worth up to £400, will immediately get credited to your account.
The bonus is credited at a rate of 4% of the total game buy-ins after the deposits are made.
FantasyBet also offers regular FREEROLLS, and they are not hard to spot. All you have to do is search for the term “FREE” on the page. You will find it listed under the “Buy-In” header.
Pros and cons
So, to summarise our conclusion on FantasyBet, we will divide the information into pros and cons.
In terms of pros, we found that FantasyBet offers a great variety of prize structures and competition types. This includes events like the Spanish La Liga, Champions League, the English Premier League, the Europa League and Norwegian Tippeligaen.
The options in terms of team selection are innovative. This provides users with a real edge, especially with OPTA as the official statistics provider.
FantasyBet also encourages responsible gaming, and users are provided with features that help limit their wagers, gaming, deposits and time.
Users have access to game “Tooltips,” which makes the contest selection process easier. All you need to do is hover over the link with your mouse in order to access the relevant key features.
A wide range of currencies is accepted. This includes EUR, USD and GBP. Apart from that, you have multiple options for deposits, such as Skrill, Paysafecard, VISA, Neteller, Mastercard and various coupons/vouchers.
The site also offers excellent customer support.
As for cons, we don't have anything substantial to complain about. However, based on our discussions with users, we were told that the site needs to offer more than just soccer. We feel the same way too.
Also, we felt that the site could add a few more deposit methods.
Lastly, FantasyBet may need to update its list of players as well. We felt that it was a bit limited by current standards.
