BetUS vs Underdog is a comparison that only makes sense once you separate the question “which is legit” from the question “which does what I want.” BetUS is an offshore sportsbook and casino that has taken US action since 1994. Underdog is a Brooklyn daily fantasy sports company that briefly ran its own real-money sportsbook, shut it down nationwide in December 2025, and now also runs a federally licensed prediction-market exchange. They overlap in search results a lot more than they overlap in what a deposit actually buys.
BetUS vs Underdog, side by side
| BetUS | Underdog | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Offshore sportsbook, racebook, and casino | DFS pick’em app; sportsbook closed Dec. 2025; also runs Predict, a CFTC-registered exchange |
| Founded | 1994, San Jose, Costa Rica | 2020, Brooklyn, New York |
| Licensing | Own certificate names Island of Mwali (Comoros); own press material separately claims Curaçao — unreconciled | Classic Pick’em under state DFS exemptions; Pick’em Champions licensed state by state; Predict under CFTC DCM/DCO/FCM registrations |
| Regulatory action | Illinois Gaming Board cease-and-desist, February 11, 2025 | $17.5 million New York State Gaming Commission settlement, March 2025; exited NY |
| US state licensed? | No, in any state | Product-dependent — DFS exemption or direct state license, blocked in 9 states |
| Can you bet a moneyline/spread? | Yes, unlicensed | No — sportsbook closed nationwide Dec. 2025 |
| Fast payout | Crypto, same day, no fee, $5,000 daily cap | PayPal/Venmo/Trustly, roughly 1-3 days |
| Slow fallback | Bank wire ($45 or 8%, 5-10 days) or courier check ($55, 10-15 days) | Original deposit method |
Is BetUS or Underdog more legit?
BetUS makes its case with tenure: thirty-plus years of continuous operation and a forum-documented history of actually paying winning bettors, which is about as strong as legitimacy evidence gets for a book with no regulator behind it. Underdog makes its case differently — it is a company regulators have actually reviewed. New York found its 2020–2022 contests went beyond a temporary permit, Underdog paid $17.5 million in March 2025 and exited the state, and then went on to secure federal registrations for Predict a year later. Paying a fine and continuing to operate under stricter terms is a different kind of track record than a license certificate that contradicts the company’s own newsroom.
Two very different paper trails. BetUS’s posted license certificate names the Island of Mwali, part of the Comoros Union — a light-touch jurisdiction — while separate BetUS Newsroom material claims Curaçao licensure instead. Neither document explains the other. Underdog’s paper trail is public and dated: a $17.5 million settlement order from the New York State Gaming Commission, and, as of July 2026, its own Designated Contract Market and Derivatives Clearing Organization registrations from the CFTC for Predict.
Is BetUS or Underdog legal where I live?
BetUS’s answer never changes by state: no US state licenses it, and Illinois has already sent it a formal cease-and-desist letter. Underdog’s answer changes by product and by state — Classic Pick’em is live under DFS exemptions in roughly 15 states, Pick’em Champions requires its own state-by-state license, and the brand is blocked outright in nine states including Nevada and Montana. That is more research for an Underdog reader to do, but it is research a regulator’s website can actually answer — there is no equivalent lookup for BetUS.
Which one for who
A bettor who wants to place a straight sports wager, already accepts the offshore trade-off, and wants fast free crypto payouts is looking at BetUS — with eyes open about the conflicting license claims and the 2025 Illinois letter. A player who wants pick’em-style DFS contests, or is curious about a federally registered prediction-market product, is looking at Underdog, and should check which of its three products (Classic Pick’em, Pick’em Champions, Predict) is actually live in their state. Neither is a way to make money, and switching from one to the other doesn’t answer the same question — they were never really competing for it.