Do Traditional Sports Gamblers Have Beef With Daily Fantasy Players?

There's a big difference between people who bet on teams and those who bet on stats.

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Real gamblers don't get down with fantasy sports.

There's a weird war going on between traditional sports gamblers (people who bet on the outcome of games) and daily fantasy sports players (people who bet on the statistical success of individual players). It apparently has little to do with the legality of FanDuel or DraftKings, the explosion of their businesses, or any of the recent pushback from federal and state politicians. But trust—traditional gamblers do not look at daily fantasy players the same way they view their other gambling peers.

Personally, I didn't know of any of this before a month ago. 

Having been invited to spend Halloween weekend in Las Vegas to experience the kick-off of a 12 weekend takeover of Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub by the good folks at Oculto—a *checks press release* bold lager blended with beer aged on Mexican tequila barrel staves, infused with blue agave and lime to offer an alcohol fusion beer that is strong and bold, but also smooth—the initial thought was to visually chronicle the alcohol and greed-fueled nonsense that happens in a Vegas sportsbook when people are two grand in the hole and dressed like Super Mario Bros. But sometimes ideas change when you actually speak to people. And in conversation after conversation with the people actually in Las Vegas to bet on sports, one common thread linked them all—they didn't like daily fantasy sports.

Traditional gamblers want respect for their ability to win against the house's odds and near-infinite resources.

The sample size of my unscientific poll is admittedly fractional when compared to the total gambling community, but of the dozen or so people I spoke to, only one played FanDuel or DraftKings, and that one person invested a whopping total of $20. The others—although most had considerably less animosity towards DFS companies than John Oliver and his "baggie of heroin" comparison—refused to even try it.

There was Robert, a 65-year-old Las Vegas native, who said daily fantasy sports are "probably good for the economy" but "no different than the lottery."

Gary, a 24-year-old Chicagoan, who never plays DFS and wondered why betting on individual players was legal but he had to "come all the way to Vegas" to bet on games.

Todd, a 46-year-old from Ohio, who said he knows "literally nothing" about FanDuel or DraftKings and was just there "to watch a bad Browns game."

And—most interesting of them all—Jesse, a 45-year-old from suburban Houston, who said he doesn't play DFS himself, but "[His] friend did and stopped completely after the insider trading situation." 

Jessie was sitting in a small sportsbook in the Cosmopolitan casino, wearing a Cowboys jersey and Cowboys visor, and—despite the handicap of being a Cowboys fan—articulated a sound argument against daily fantasy sports that many of the other experienced gamblers seemed to share. 

"I don't have any use for it, you have to be on the computer all the time for daily fantasy," Jessie said. "Those guys have inside info—I work 12-15 hours a day and can't spend all that time online. They make it seem so easy. It's just sales. I hit four times on NCAA yesterday and made $8,500. My wife and I come [to Las Vegas] four to five times a year, come with a set amount to bet, and go home with the same amount or more."

"With comped rooms and food, why waste my time?"

Jessie went on to say he hopes DFS companies like FanDuel and DraftKings remain legal, but quickly reversed stance after imagining of the worst. "Someone I love could become addicted. [I'd] rather them have to come [to Las Vegas] or reach out to a bookie than lose everything and go in a hole while playing with their phone."

The one person I did find that played daily fantasy—Jeff, a 31-year-old from L.A.—only threw in an Andrew Jackson and seemed to be more well-versed in DFS than your average Joe GiantCheck from the TV commercials. 

"Yes [it's gambling]," Jeff said. "You're wagering money on stats. I hope it stays around; I played daily fantasy on and off for a month. Started with $20 and kept playing with it. You know how they make it so you can't withdraw."

"The inside trade stuff is dumb, though. Everyone has access to that info if they want it. The unfair thing is when they buy in for 1,000 different lineups versus your one. The regular average Joe is not gonna win." 

Interesting take, but there's no way everyone has the same data as the folks working in-house at FanDuel. At least that's what I thought, until I came across some information that showed there was some legitimacy to Jeff's claim. Yes, the employees had access to other players' lineup data before they were posted publicly, but presently there's still no indication that the employee in question "had access to data at a point that would have provided him with an advantage in the FanDuel contests that week."

Here he was, the only man I could find in a sportsbook that had actually enjoyed playing daily fantasy sports, Gronk-spiking an easy, commonly believed anti-DFS argument in my face. Where are all the suckers too lazy to do their homework looking to get rich??

At one point while talking to Jeff, one of the guys he was with drew a figurative line in the sand between traditional sports gambling and DFS. He turned and asked me whether I thought it took more skill to pick the outcome of a game or statistical output from specific players, right before ranting how it takes less skill to play daily fantasy than to bet on games.

This person was the embodiment of the entire beef, if there really is one. Traditional gamblers want respect for their ability to win against the house's odds and near-infinite resources. All of these lucky daily fantasy millionaires in commercials selling "it can happen to you" to the general public? A slap in their faces.

It's amazing and alarming how quickly we can divide ourselves into groups over the pettiest of issues. Whether it's drawing a line in the sand over video game console preferences, Apple vs. Android, or if you're the last two in-line skaters holding grudges against all the skateboarders, humans are quick to turn any possible blending situation into oil and water. 

But this isn't Apple vs. Android. This is classic Nerds vs. Jocks. Stats vs. Gut Feelings. The computer-savvy numbers guys vs. the slightly less computer-savvy numbers guys.

Even when I got back to Complex HQ, a coworker who bets on sports laughed and celebrated when I told him the anti-DFS reactions I got from the other traditional gamblers. The fact that most didn't like FanDuel or DraftKings was like a victory for old school degenerates everywhere.

Do guys who play daily fantasy sports have beef with traditional gamblers? Couldn't tell you from this experience as there was nary one in sight. My bet is they don't even know there's a war going on. In my head they're just kicking it with their Sketchers up on the cubicle desk on a casual Friday not even thinking about some sun-worn gambling addict with an odds sheet and four figures on the 9:30 a.m. London game.

And, hell, with DFS advertising dollars way down and the major sites' futures in New York already in jeopardy, most daily fantasy players are probably more focused on their hobby being legal in 2016 than anyone clinching a parlay slip in a Vegas casino.

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