Fliff Superstars Keeps Brand Active In California

Sweepstakes casinos are no longer operating in California, but Fliff is not ready to leave.

Fliff launched Superstars, a peer-to-peer daily fantasy sports product currently available in 11 states, though none of the others are as important as California.

Superstars is coming to more states, Fliff said, but there is not necessarily a rush. Fliff has some version of its platform, mostly its sweepstakes model with a dual-currency format that can award cash prizes, in every state but Idaho and Washington.

California passed legislation last year that shut down sweepstakes casinos as of Jan. 1.

Fliff Enters A Changing DFS Landscape

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta ruled that daily fantasy sports contests are illegal in the state in July, but not much has changed despite his promise that enforcement was coming.

Gov. Gavin Newsom made it clear he disagreed that those games should be illegal because they are similar to sports betting.

“The Attorney General, in his independent capacity, issued this opinion — not the Governor’s office,” a spokesperson told KCRA-TV in July. “While the Governor does not agree with the outcome, he welcomes a constructive path forward in collaboration with all stakeholders.”

With the opinion, DFS operators ended their pick’em style contests in the state, but companies like PrizePicks and Underdog pivoted to a peer-vs-peer format.

Is California Sports Betting Getting Closer?

Sports betting in California will be legalized when the state’s gaming tribes decide it should be legal, but that decision could be pressured by outside factors.

The tribes filed a lawsuit against Kalshi and Robinhood in July, but a preliminary injunction was denied in November and is being appealed. Whether sports predictions are legal and can be offered outside of sports betting regulations is something that will likely be decided by the Supreme Court. That decision could still be years away.

Meanwhile, sports betting brands are no longer standing on the sideline while others build up their databases in important states without legal sports betting, like California. DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel all launched their own predictions products in December.

While the tribes will dictate whether sports betting has their support or not, it will still come down to a referendum. A Politico–Citrin Center–Possibility Lab survey from August found 60% support for legal sports betting in California.

Photo by Shutterstock/clayton harrison