FanDuel Online Sportsbook Review Pennsylvania

Although most famous for its entry into the competitive fantasy sports scene, betting juggernaut FanDuel also has an online sportsbook for betting on events.

However, all sportsbooks aren’t built equally, which Pennsylvania online casinos try to use to their advantage. The differences between sportsbooks and betting odds can have serious real money implications.

With that said, is the FanDuel PA online casino worth your time and, more importantly, your money? Let’s look deeper into this online casino and what you can expect from it.

FanDuel Deposit Bonus

Like most new PA online casino options, FanDuel has a selection of promotions for new and existing players. These tend to rotate over time, so what’s available today may not be around in the future. That’s why it always helps to check out their current promotions even if you’ve been playing for a while.

Their primary advertisement for new players isn’t the PA online casino no deposit bonus many other sportsbooks in the state offer, though it does function similarly. The No Sweat First Bet kicks in when you sign up and make an account, then deposit money into FanDuel’s platform. From there, FanDuel takes the risk out of the first bet you make.

If you win the bet, the money goes into your account. If you lose, FanDuel will give you free bets matching your first wager, up to a total of $1000. In practical terms, this means you can’t lose on your first bet no matter what you do. You might lose out if you make other bets with the credits and don’t win those, either, but at least you have another chance to win.

The No Sweat First Bet is an excellent option for new players. Getting over the psychological hurdle of making your first bet can be difficult. By removing the risk, FanDuel makes it possible to focus on learning and having fun instead of sweating over the money.

(As always, we are obligated to point out that you should never bet money you can’t afford to lose. Think of it like a hobby, and limit your investment no matter how well or poorly you’re doing.)

FanDuel Promo Codes

The Fanduel Sportsbook No Sweat First Bet has a generously large cap at $1000, which may exceed the value of several promo codes on other PA online casino apps.

FanDuel lists its main promos on its website, splitting them into different parts of its site. Unlike sportsbook-only companies, FanDuel also has fantasy sports, direct online casino options, and horse racing in its portfolio. Each has separate promotions, and you can still take advantage of them if you signed up for a different FanDuel service.

The FanDuel casino PA online service usually has more promotions than the sportsbook, sometimes including game-specific bonuses that let you try different ways to play and win money on the FanDuel platform.

FanDuel Sportsbook Pennsylvania App

Unsurprisingly, one of the newest PA online casino options has app support alongside its regular website. Many people prefer placing bets on their phones when settling in to watch games, so sportsbook operators tend to support this style of play.

FanDuel has three sportsbook app options. iOS and Android have dedicated sportsbook apps, which are the options to download if you want to focus on sporting events. However, the Android platform also has access to the fantasy sports section, whereas iOS needs a separate app.

This is important because fantasy sports have always been the heart of FanDuel’s operations. 

We consider this a point in FanDuel’s favor because they don’t rely exclusively on sportsbook activity to fund their operations. By covering more types of entertainment, the extra revenue streams can cover shortfalls in different areas and ensure stability for the company. Reliability is vital for any business, but especially for those that might owe you money.

As a bonus, looking at the app’s reviews is another way to check the safety and reliability of their service. At the time of writing this review, FanDuel is one of the best PA online casino options. The iOS app has a 4.8/5 rating with over seven hundred and fifteen thousand reviews, which is more than enough to mitigate any outlying opinions.

It’s one thing if an app has two or three reviews, as that’s hard to trust. FanDuel is so far beyond the point where reviews become reliable that it’s shocking. You can be confident in the general reliability and performance of the platform if you choose to play on the FanDuel system. 

FanDuel Games Available in Pennsylvania

Here’s a thing most sportsbooks don’t want you to think about: it doesn’t matter how good an online casino is to PA residents if it doesn’t offer the games and bets you want. If you wanted to bet on the NFL and a sportsbook didn’t take bets for them, why would you care?

The main point here is that the type of bets a sportsbook accepts matters, and we can’t understand FanDuel unless we take a close look at what they have available.

House Rules

House Rules are the specific guidelines that apply to FanDuel’s bets, and it’s important to read these rules before you start placing bets. Sportsbooks have different house rules, and what applies to one company may not apply to another.

FanDuel’s basic setup is relatively straightforward. They have specific rules for many sports, which take precedence for the sports they apply to. For example, FanDuel says that overtime counts unless stated otherwise, but bets on abandoned or postponed games will be voided unless they happen in the same scheduling week.

FanDuel’s general rules apply to bets when there are no sport-specific guidelines to follow. These include their general operations and betting rules, such as resettling payouts if an official result differs from what FanDuel thought right after the event. The general rules also cover things like natural disasters or other factors that affect the outcome of games.

The rules include a wide selection of options for voiding bets at FanDuel’s discretion, but this isn’t a real risk for most players. You get your money back if they void the bet, so they don’t profit from doing it. They set up bets so that they’re not at any real risk of suffering from large payouts, so they have no incentive to try and cancel valid, winning offers.

The House Rules document is long and may take some time to read. However, I strongly recommend you do so even if you have experience with another real money online casino Pennsylvania residents have access to. Knowing how the site and bets work is vital to getting a good deal and winning money.

Special Events

Like most online sportsbooks, FanDuel frequently has limited-time offers on special events like the Super Bowl or the FIFA World Cup. Big events like these tend to have many more betting options than regular games, from daily specials and betting on team performances to elimination stages and player actions.

FanDuel also takes the step of occasionally explaining their opinion on odds. This doesn’t tell you how to bet, but provides insight into how they set their odds and expect things to go. If you have some information they don’t, this kind of advice can clue you into betting opportunities.

For example, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, FanDuel explained that they never expect a team from outside Europe or South America to win the championship. They favored Brazil, at +430, but pointed out that Argentina’s performance improved to +700 and helped shake things up a little.

It’s important to avoid relying too heavily on favorites in special events. For example, before the 2022 World Cup, the favorites had won 9 of the last 21 tournaments. That’s less than half of the time, so statistically, you might be better off expecting the favorite to lose.

The FanDuel online PA casino may accept requests to put odds and bets on things they haven’t considered before. You should contact them ahead of time about this, but if there’s a moderate-sized event people are interested in, they’ll often consider figuring out the odds and adding it to their roster.

Alright, now that we’ve gone over the specials, let’s get to the main lineup of betting options.

Baseball

Baseball doesn’t have quite the same fanbase size as basketball or football, but it’s still one of the bigger choices for sportsbooks. Most of this has to do with baseball’s game structure. It’s slower-paced than most other major sports, which gives more betting opportunities.

FanDuel takes relatively early bets on things like the World Series championship and the World Baseball Classic. They don’t have many choices in the off-season, but you can expect to see far more going on when the leagues are active.

Typical bets for baseball include picks like the game’s total score and whether specific players will achieve certain feats like hitting a home run. Baseball is famously unpredictable in some areas, where teams that struggle to score two runs in one game may get ten or more the next. Even professionals often have a hard time picking favorites for baseball bets.

Basketball

The NFL may be the main focus of most sports betting, but the NBA isn’t too far behind. Aside from the standard array of spread, money line, and over/under total bets for the game, FanDuel offers wagers on actions like players assisting each other to win. More unusually, they also have bets for things like team stars and how the first basket will happen.

Basketball isn’t quite as competitive as football, so most people know early in a season who the favorites are likely to be. Odds can always change significantly due to unforeseen circumstances like player injuries, though, so betting too far ahead of time can be risky.

Outside of game-specific bets, FanDuel offers some special betting options, such as bets on Rookie of the Year. These can be obvious enough to have a favorite, but if you expect someone else to win, such side bets tend to be hugely rewarding.

Basketball is a fast-paced and high-intensity sport that offers a range of opportunities for betting and getting quick results. FanDuel supports live betting for many basketball games, so this is a good choice if you want to make bets as things occur and see if you can predict the flow of the game.

Basketball (College)

College basketball is somewhat different from the NBA, though not in the way that football and college football differ. However, FanDuel offers special betting options for relevant events like Feast Week, the national championship, and the Final Four. They also take wagers on player awards, which can be a good test of your ability to predict seasonal results.

FanDuel takes bets on both men’s and women’s college basketball games. Men’s games are the overwhelming focus, but women’s games will often have at least the basic spread, money line, and over/under total options. However, they may not have any side bets at all.

This is one area where we think FanDuel falls a little short. It’s true that women’s games don’t get nearly as much hype, but adding more side bets could help increase viewer enthusiasm. Most less-popular sports get at least a handful of side bets, and FanDuel has the technology to offer more if they want to.

Boxing

FanDuel’s boxing bets are similar to their MMA bets, although boxing has some different rules. Potential bets include things like an outright winner, betting on draws, or selecting the round deciding the victor.

Many major boxing events have an array of prop bets where you can choose options like whether a fighter will get knocked down. These provide far more granularity for predicting the fight, and you can research each participant’s history and style to see if something is likely to happen.

We think FanDuel is a good choice for boxing bets. It may not be as big a sport as football, but the number of fights they cover and the wide range of betting options for each fight make this a solid second-tier betting category.

Football

The NFL is easily one of the largest categories for sports betting, and that’s no surprise considering its popularity in America. The NFL stands out in sports betting because of the league’s aggressive focus on parity between teams. While that’s not perfect, it does keep things a lot more even than some other sports display.

FanDuel emphasizes spreads, money lines, and over/under point totals as the primary focus of NFL games. A typical game will also have a wide range of side bets, with options like the result of the first drive in-game and the results for specific halves or quarters. Some of their wagers are four-way options instead of two-way, adding a little more complexity.

In many ways, the wide range of options for NFL bets matches football’s popularity in fantasy sports, which remains FanDuel’s real focus.

Football (College)

College football is a little different from the NFL. Although ostensibly the same game, the college level isn’t nearly as competitive as the NFL, and that makes a big difference in the spread of odds throughout a season. Realistically, you can expect a few likely favorites, then a lot of “also-rans” somewhere in the footnotes.

That said, college football often creates even more passion among fans than the NFL, with some areas of the country particularly enthusiastic about wagering on the outcomes. Rules for betting on college football also vary by state.

In Pennsylvania, you can bet on PA schools. However, you can’t bet on pre-game player props in PA, so there are limits to the things you’ll see on the app.

The main betting categories for college football include game results, the national championship, the winner of the Heisman Trophy, and assorted championships. 

Golf

Golf is a spectator sport in a different way from most events. Most people only watch remotely because golf doesn’t happen in regular stadiums, but in some ways, that makes it easier to relax and bet on matches.

On FanDuel, betting for golf focuses on events like the PGA Tour, the Masters, and similar tournaments. Non-tournament/championship games rarely have bets going on, but FanDuel might put up some odds if a specific game outside a championship gets media attention.

Typical golf bets include options like round leaders, finishing position, and deciding who will come out ahead between two specific golfers.

As FanDuel notes, winning a golf tournament is exceptionally difficult, and even top players rarely win more than a few events per year. This means that underdogs win more often in golf than in some other sports, and they set their odds accordingly.

Hockey

Hockey stands out as an interesting option for sports bets. Although not quite as popular as basketball or football, it still draws a steady crowd. This is particularly true in states like Pennsylvania, where the frequent snow makes things far more viable.

Hockey has some betting options that other sports don’t. Typical games include things like picking the correct score, the winning margin, and the first team to get five shots at the goal. Action in hockey can be sporadic, so a good knowledge of team habits can go a long way toward making successful bets here.

Outside of per-game options, FanDuel takes bets on some daily events, performance in the Stanley Cup, seasonal specials, division and playoff performances, and various award categories. There are not quite as many betting options as football has, but FanDuel has a solid selection if you want to bet on pro hockey.

MMA

MMA events can occur throughout the year. FanDuel focuses on UFC matches most of the time, but may extend betting options for other tournaments and events as relevant. They also take bets on many PFL fights.

MMA betting focuses on individual matchups, and most people don’t fight more than once per night. You may be able to create a complex bet where everyone you pick needs to win.

Bets for MMA events can cover things like the number of rounds in the fight, how it ends, and whether the judge steps in.

Racing

Racing bets focus on different circuits that drivers may be on. Of these, Formula 1 racing remains one of the most popular options, with bets available on things like the championship for different events.

Notably, FanDuel doesn’t focus too heavily on overall winners for these bets. Instead, many bets focus on props, so you can try to guess things like which driver will have the fastest lap and the overall winning margin.

Racing bets often require waiting until the end of a season to find out the results. There are some race-specific bets, but racing doesn’t have quite the level of intensive betting options as sports like baseball and tennis.

Soccer

Soccer isn’t quite as popular in Pennsylvania as it is in some other parts of the world, but FanDuel accepts bets on a wide range of games. Notably, this is a category that has betting for a huge range of non-American teams, including things like the English Premier League, the Italian league, and various international organizations.

Naturally, FanDuel also takes bets on things like the FIFA World Cup when that’s going on.

Common bets for soccer games include things like the correct score, whether the game will go over or under a certain score, and the half-time result of the game. Soccer matches are relatively long, so bets tend to focus on results at checkpoints in the game.

That said, you can expect a range of prop bets for things like the team scoring the first goal and whether a game will award any penalties.

Tennis

Tennis remains one of the most popular viewing sports among older groups, which is a somewhat different demographic for betting than groups that skew younger. However, this detail hasn’t deterred FanDuel from making tennis one of its main betting categories.

A typical day for tennis betting includes live options for specific exchanges, plus bets on some of the many tournaments that occur around the world and any player’s ability to earn a grand slam.

Game-specific bets for tennis include things like betting on sets and game spreads, whether a player will win or lose the first set and still win the match, and the correct score for sets. This is an impressively intricate level of betting for any sport, made possible by the distinct structure that tennis typically operates under.

FanDuel Money Transfer Options

FanDuel currently accepts several money transfer options to move funds in and out of your account.

Deposit options include:

• Bank Transfers
• Credit Cards
• Debit Cards
• FanDuel Prepaid Cards
• PayPal
• PayNearMe

Funds show up in your account near-instantly. It may take a short time to process the transaction, but they know people want to add funds and start betting quickly, so their systems actively minimize the time it takes to get funds in.

However, it’s important to note that they have a $10 minimum deposit regardless of how you’re adding money.

Withdrawal options include:

• ACH Transfer
• Check
• FanDuel Prepaid Cards
• PayPal

Getting money out in their cards is the fastest because that’s mainly internal. Most prepaid cards can get the money out within 36 hours. PayPal is a little slower, capping at 48 hours for most transfers. ACH can take up to 5 days, and checks can process in about 7 days. Note that these are the maximum times, and most will process a little faster than that.

Don’t forget that gambling winnings are taxable, and FanDuel will typically take the taxes out of your winnings before paying them out to you. However, it’s your responsibility to be sure you’re paying taxes appropriately.

FanDuel Customer Support

FanDuel has an accessible customer support page, with a FAQ section that answers common questions and a live chat for added support. However, the live chat isn’t available 24/7, so you may need to check back in at a different time to get help from them. FanDuel also offers support on social media and email.

In our experience, they’re generally accessible to users and offer good response times. They also make a real attempt to clarify different types of bets and what their terms mean before you start clicking around, though you may need to scroll to the bottom of each betting page to get more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions that FanDuel casino online PA users ask.

Final Thoughts

FanDuel is a major online sportsbook with an array of betting options, including fantasy sports and online casino games. They’re popular, reputable, and have a long history of paying out to winners. The literal hundreds of thousands of reviews on their apps only adds to their credibility.

While they don’t offer bets for as many sports as some competitors, they cover most of the popular sports and usually have a comfortable range of options. However, we would like to see more prop bets for minor sports, and their interface could use some tweaking for user-friendliness.

We also noticed that FanDuel pays more attention to some categories with their descriptions. Bigger areas usually have explanations for different types of bets, but smaller categories may lack these. That’s not a huge deal if you know what you’re doing, but betting is all about paying attention to details.

Overall, we rate FanDuel’s Pennsylvania sportsbook 4.75/5. It’s not perfect, but it is better than most, and their generous initial bet offer makes it easy to hop in.