According to research, placing bets and earning money is pretty easy. It’s the easiest, fastest, and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports, but with a cost. With PrizePicks the “daily fantasy” is made easy. Members of PrizePicks predict more or less with 2-6 player squares of their choice. The more you predict right, the more money you win. PrizePicks is available in 18+ states and is prevalent among students at Florida A&M University.
PrizePicks has taken FAMU by storm, as many students have created group chats and GroupMe’s for anyone interested in putting their input into who they should bet on and how much will each student put down to bet. This could be considered an addiction as many students dedicate their free time to researching to win big rather than researching for their history essay.
“I would not call myself addicted but I do think that I prioritize putting picks over some homework at times,” said fourth-year criminal justice student Letore Senter. “When I lose or lose money especially, it does hurt my peace and my mental because it stirs a lot of What Ifs in my head if I decided to bet or put something different.”
Each day there is a board that is placed with professional players and their projection for that game and specific sport. You choose whether they will go over or under and place how much money you would want to bet for it to flip into even more money.
“The thrill of winning and earning extra money is crazy though,” said Kyvon Randolph, a third-year physical therapy student. “The most I won is probably 600 dollars. This is almost like my job because if I win, the money will help out with purchases I need to make for school.”
Payouts can be as high as $25,000. Even though it can be very exciting and thrilling to earn money, losing money and continuing to place bets can not only create addiction but can hurt the mental and financial realm.
“I will admit, I have been on PrizePicks every day for the past two months,” said fourth-year civil engineering major Chris Daniels. “It was fun at first, placing the over/under and watching the game live to see if you won, but after you win and lose and continue to do it on an everyday basis it almost becomes an everyday routine that has been implemented into my life.”
As football season comes to an end with the Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, basketball at the halfway mark, and many other sports across the globe, we will see if FAMU students are focused on trying to “pick” the right “prize.”