New DFS Operator Officially Launches in 12 States

While the legality of Daily Fantasy Sports is still in question in the US, a new Stanford DFS start-up has come forward with a brand new offering that is said to change the real-money format. Punters will be able to compete in 10-minute fantasy sports leagues based on live televised events rather than having to draft a line-up and wait for the outcome. According to the company, its beta testing phase proved that the concept is popular among punters and the official real-money launch takes place this week. "Just as DraftKings and FanDuel improved upon the old fantasy sports model, we are doing the same with daily fantasy sports," Stephen A. Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Boom Fantasy, said in a statement on Tuesday. "At Boom, we cater to real fans who actually want to watch the games – not necessarily the number-crunchers who use complicated algorithms to outperform other line-ups." Murphy says that Boom Fantasy eliminates the drafting process allowing punters to answer questions like "Will LeBron James score more than 8 points this quarter?" or "Will Adam Vinatieri make this 50-yard field goal?" as live events are being broadcast. "We've built a sophisticated and interactive real-time platform that is completely unique in the market," said Assaf Einat, co-founder and CTO of Boom Fantasy. "Based on the overwhelming growth of in-game play in Europe, we believe that in-game fantasy sports is the future of the industry." The team behind Boom Fantasy has experience in the real money gambling industry having previously held positions at MGM Resorts International, Google, and High 5 Games. "Boom Fantasy has been very smart in how they have structured their product," said Jeff Ifrah, an attorney who advises gaming operators. "Boom Fantasy is operating under the same federal and state requirements as the market leaders, but the company has formatted its gameplay in a completely unique way." Boom Fantasy is currently live in 12 states including California, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.