Although online gambling remains illegal in most of America, one app that has gained popularity is being likened to a gambling app. SideDraft.
The often-praised app with characteristics of sport-style betting allows users to play and make money off of a single day of playing fantasy football.
Business Week’s Joshua Brustein notes that making money on fantasy football was made legal by the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
Daily Fantasy and other similar contests are now responsible for $492 million in annual spending of the total $1.6 billion spent on all fantasy formats, according to a study commissioned by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
Jon Goldstein – the founder of Blue ox Entertainment, the company that created SideDraft – had assistance from an Apple employee in creating the app so that it would fit Apple’s standards.
Even with help, Goldstein’s first attempt was denied. Nonetheless, Apple still makes it clear that they are not a sponsor of the game.
An Android version of the app is not in the works for now.
When asked what inspired the creation of SideDraft, Goldstein is quoted as saying, “We created SideDraft to give the dedicated fantasy player a great way to socialize and compete with their friends without the time drain a season-long league requires. No one needs to worry about complex transactions or fictional monetary values of players. You just pick your team from the entire pool of players and you are all set. With the long fantasy season, some players might be out of it by Week 5. SideDraft allows them to get back into the action and use their knowledge to have fun and maybe even win some spending money.”
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