BitStarz vs FanDuel: Different Decades, Zero Overlap

BitStarz vs FanDuel: Two Companies, Two Different Decades

BitStarz vs FanDuel puts a full decade of gambling-industry history side by side. FanDuel started in 2009 as an Edinburgh-founded fantasy sports site and only became a sportsbook once US law allowed one; BitStarz launched in 2014 as a crypto casino and has never once let a US player through the door. Both are still running in 2026, but they arrived from opposite directions and answer completely different search intent.

BitStarz vs FanDuel lines up two companies that trace back to completely different starting points. FanDuel opened its doors in 2009 in Edinburgh, Scotland, as a fantasy-sports site called Hubdub before it ever took a sports bet. BitStarz opened five years later, in 2014, straight into crypto casino gambling out of Curaçao, and it has stayed casino-only — no sportsbook, ever — the whole way through. Seventeen years and twelve years of operating history, respectively, and the two still don't really compete for the same account.

2009: FanDuel Starts As A Fantasy Site, Not A Sportsbook

FanDuel's founders — Nigel Eccles, Lesley Eccles, Tom Griffiths, Rob Jones, and Chris Stafford — built a daily fantasy sports product years before a single US state could legally license a sportsbook. That DFS business still runs today, in more states than the regulated sportsbook does, and it is a genuinely different product with its own rules. The sportsbook FanDuel readers search for now didn't exist until federal law changed almost a decade later.

2014: BitStarz Launches Into Crypto Casino Gambling

BitStarz went the opposite direction from the start: a Curaçao crypto casino from day one, built around Bitcoin and later a dozen other coins, with no sportsbook layer ever added. Its current license, OGL/2024/165/0185, is held by Gareton B.V. (formerly Dama N.V.), and the site now carries more than 7,000 games from upward of 60 studios. What never changed across those twelve years is the United States: BitStarz's own terms have always named it, along with Puerto Rico, as a restricted jurisdiction.

BitStarz vs FanDuel, side by side

	BitStarz	FanDuel
Founded	2014, Curaçao	2009, Edinburgh (as Hubdub)
Core license	Curaçao Gaming Control Board, OGL/2024/165/0185 (Gareton B.V.)	Individual state sportsbook licenses, 24 states + D.C.
Ownership	Operated by Gareton B.V. (formerly Dama N.V.)	100% Flutter Entertainment plc (since a 2025 Boyd Gaming buyout)
US access	None — US and Puerto Rico named restricted jurisdictions	Sportsbook in 24 states + D.C.; casino in CT, MI, NJ, PA, WV only
Product	Casino only, no sportsbook — 7,000+ games, 60+ studios	Sportsbook first, plus a much smaller online casino
Banking	12+ cryptocurrencies, plus cards and e-wallets, hybrid crypto/fiat cashier	Debit card, bank/ACH/PayPal (state-dependent), Play+ prepaid
Welcome offer	Up to $500 (or 5 BTC) plus 180 free spins across first four deposits	Bet $5, Get $350 in bonus bets over 7 days (sportsbook)

Is BitStarz or FanDuel Legal in the US?

FanDuel answers this the way a licensed sportsbook should: legal exactly where a state regulator has approved it, and nowhere else. As of September 2026 that's 24 states plus D.C., with Arkansas the newest addition on March 20, 2026. BitStarz never gets to that conversation for an American reader — its restricted- jurisdiction list has named the United States and Puerto Rico since the site launched, and that block is national, not state-by-state. There is no state where FanDuel is dark that lets a US player use BitStarz instead.

2018 to 2025, the gap that separated them: the Supreme Court's 2018 PASPA repeal is the event that let FanDuel become a sportsbook at all; nothing comparable ever opened a door for BitStarz in the US. Flutter Entertainment's 2025 buyout of Boyd Gaming's last 5% stake, for roughly $1.76 billion, simplified FanDuel's ownership but changed none of that history.

Which Company Has The Better Legitimacy Case?

FanDuel's case is structural: a public parent company on the NYSE and LSE, a named state regulator in every licensed market, and geolocation enforcing the state line. BitStarz's case is longevity — twelve straight years online, a current license rather than a lapsed one, and an “Excellent” Trustpilot rating built on roughly 5,000 reviews. Both hold up on their own terms. Only one of them is answerable to a regulator that a US reader could actually file a complaint with.

Which One For Who

For a US reader, this resolves before it gets interesting: FanDuel is reachable in 24 states plus D.C., and BitStarz is reachable in none. Outside the US and Puerto Rico, BitStarz is a legitimate, long-running crypto casino worth evaluating on its own — but it was never FanDuel's competitor, since FanDuel has no international footprint and BitStarz has no sportsbook at all. Neither is a way to make money; both run on a house edge. FanDuel is 21+ where licensed, and BitStarz is not a legal option for a US player regardless of age. If gambling stops being entertainment, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

BitStarz vs FanDuel — Frequently Asked Questions

Is BitStarz or FanDuel legal in the US?

FanDuel is legal and licensed in the 24 states plus Washington D.C. where its sportsbook is live as of September 2026, most recently Arkansas on March 20, 2026. BitStarz is not legal for a US resident anywhere — its terms list the United States and Puerto Rico as restricted jurisdictions, and real-money registration from either is blocked regardless of which state a reader is in.

Is BitStarz or FanDuel more legit?

FanDuel’s legitimacy is corporate and regulatory: wholly owned by Flutter Entertainment plc since a 2025 buyout of Boyd Gaming’s last 5% stake, plus an individual state gaming license everywhere the sportsbook runs. BitStarz’s legitimacy is a track record — continuous operation since 2014, a current Curaçao Gaming Control Board license (OGL/2024/165/0185, held by Gareton B.V.), and an "Excellent" Trustpilot rating across roughly 5,000 reviews. Both are real, but a single offshore license gives a player far less recourse than a US state regulator does.

Is BitStarz or FanDuel safer to use?

Where FanDuel is licensed, it is the safer answer by any US measure — a named state regulator, geolocation enforcing the state line, and an agency to file a complaint with. BitStarz’s safety case (a decade-plus history, no cashier fees, crypto withdrawals in roughly 10 to 20 minutes) is real for the players it serves, but it never applies to a US reader, since BitStarz blocks American sign-ups before any of that comes into play.

Why do FanDuel and BitStarz get compared at all?

Mostly because both show up on the same "biggest gambling brands" lists, not because they compete for the same account. FanDuel grew out of daily fantasy sports and became a sportsbook once states started licensing them after 2018; BitStarz launched as a crypto casino in 2014 and has stayed casino-only, with no sportsbook product, ever since. A reader who wants to bet on a game means FanDuel. A reader who wants a large crypto slots library means BitStarz — and only one of those readers can be American.

Does FanDuel’s 2025 Flutter buyout change anything for players?

Not for how the product works day to day. Flutter Entertainment already controlled FanDuel; the 2025 deal simply bought out Boyd Gaming’s remaining 5% stake for roughly $1.76 billion, taking Flutter to full ownership. It simplified the corporate structure but did not change FanDuel’s state licenses, its sportsbook footprint, or its five-state casino list.

What do the BitStarz and FanDuel welcome offers actually pay?

FanDuel’s sportsbook offer is Bet $5, Get $350 in bonus bets: a $5 qualifying wager unlocks up to $50 in bonus bets per day for seven days, and those bets expire 168 hours after issue. BitStarz spreads a package worth up to $500 (or the crypto equivalent, advertised up to 5 BTC) plus 180 free spins across a player’s first four deposits, with the largest match and most spins landing on deposit one. Only US players can actually claim FanDuel’s; BitStarz’s is unreachable from a US or Puerto Rico account regardless of the terms.