Sleeper DFS review
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Sleeper is a well-established daily fantasy sports (DFS) betting site, on the scene since 2015. It offers a unique form of social DFS betting, letting you set up channels and leagues with your friends to bet on fantasy sports together.
But is the DFS app worth downloading? Read our Sleeper review to learn all about their fantasy sports options, betting features, and five payment methods.
Pros and cons
- Fantasy esports betting
- Great mobile app
- Available in 30 states
- Only 6 sports available
- No phone support
- Desktop vastly inferior to app
General ratings
General info
| Launch date | 2015 |
| Company behind | Blitz Studios |
Best alternatives to Sleeper
Editor’s note
Data and analysis below are accurate at the time of publishing, but may be subject to change.
Expert verdict
Sleeper is certainly a unique fantasy betting site, but it struggles to stand out from its competitors.
The main selling point is Sleeper’s social integration, which allows you to set up channels and chat rooms with your friends. You can link to Sleeper’s many tutorials within these channels. You can also set up a whole league with your friends, with custom scoring and in-built chat. The Give/Get refer-a-friend promo gives bonus funds to you and your friend that you can use within these leagues.
If you’re betting solo though, Sleeper is far less enticing. There are only a few bonuses, six sports, and five payment methods. It doesn’t help that the desktop version is missing several features and sports, and it’s significantly harder to navigate than its mobile alternative, with sections like the RG page being almost impossible to find.
The truth is, if you want somewhere to bet with friends, then Sleeper is an excellent choice. Otherwise, perhaps check out a different daily fantasy sports site.
State differences
Sleeper DFS is available in 30 states at the time of writing. The other 20 states are considered “Excluded Territories,” where you can’t create a Sleeper Wallet or access paid-entry contests of skill.
The sports and betting features available are the same regardless of which state you reside in, however, keep in mind that state betting laws still apply. Players in Alabama and Nebraska for instance, must be 19 years of age to create an account.
There are two differences in payments. Users located in Massachusetts may not deposit more than $1,000 in a calendar month, and users in Maryland may not deposit more than $5,000 in a calendar month.
The full list of available states can be found here:
States available
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Colorado
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Illinois
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Maryland
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New York
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Virginia
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West Virginia
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Wyoming
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Alabama
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Alaska
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Arkansas
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California
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Florida
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Georgia
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Kansas
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Kentucky
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Massachusetts
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Minnesota
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Nebraska
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New Mexico
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North Carolina
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North Dakota
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Oklahoma
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Oregon
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Rhode Island
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South Carolina
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South Dakota
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Texas
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Utah
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Vermont
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Wisconsin
Sleeper bonuses — 100% match up to $200
Sleeper welcomes newcomers with a 100% deposit match of up to $200. Keep in mind that this welcome bonus doesn’t kick in immediately upon account creation. Instead, you must input the Sleeper promo code PLAY when making your first deposit.
The promo will apply to your first deposit only, and will award you 100% up to $200 back in bonus funds. You’ll need to wager these funds 1x before you can withdraw.
Bonus facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 100% match up to $200 |
| Bonus code | PLAY |
| Wagering requirements | 1x |
| Minimum qualifying bet | $10 |
| Risk-free bets | Protected Picks |
| VIP rewards | N/A |
| Other bonuses | Give/Get |
As for ongoing promos, Sleeper occasionally runs a Protected Picks promo. If you decide to enter a Protected Pick contest, even if you lose, your funds will be returned to you as bonus funds, with a 1x wagering requirement for withdrawal.
Finally, there is the Give/Get promo, which serves as Sleeper’s refer-a-friend promo. You can send friends your unique promo code which they can use to sign up. If they do so, you’ll both receive $25 in bonus funds. You can refer a maximum of 20 friends.
Bonus rating
- Low 1x wagering requirement
- Can refer up to 20 friends
- No dedicated promo page
- Only two ongoing promos
Sleeper is going for quality over quantity. There may be only three Sleeper promos, but their 1x wagering requirement is generous and a whole lot better than OwnersBox for example, which doesn’t let you withdraw bonus cash at all.
I’m particularly fond of the Give/Get promo, especially since Sleeper puts so much emphasis on its social aspect. Not all refer-a-friend promos reward both you and the referral, so both of you snagging $25 in bonus funds is pretty swell.
The obvious problem though is that there are just too few promos. Or perhaps there isn’t, and there are more promos hidden. Since there’s no dedicated promos page I had to scour the app, and even these three were hard to find. The welcome bonus was hidden in the payment FAQs for some reason.
Sleeper needs to add a few more promos, such as a VIP Club (like what OwnersBox has). At the very least, Sleeper should add a page for the promos, listing all of them and their terms instead of spreading them in hidden areas throughout the app.
Sleeper fantasy sports and leagues
Sleeper offers contests in six fantasy sports. These are football, basketball, soccer, baseball, hockey, and esports. Depending on league availability, some of these sports might not be available.
Sports facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of sports | 6 |
| Betting markets — Baseball | N/A |
| Betting markets — Basketball | N/A |
| Betting markets — Football | N/A |
| Esports | Available |
| Other markets (politics/event betting) | N/A |
Players can join public contests, or set up private contests between their friends. You can then draft players for your respective league, and create a fantasy team to pit against other teams.
During March Madness, Sleeper has a unique Bracket Mania game on its mobile app, where you can select teams and complete brackets. Players get 10 entries each, which can be used to pick who’s going to win the rounds and become the Champion Pick.
Featured betting markets
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Football
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Basketball
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Soccer
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Esports
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Baseball
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Hockey
Available events
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NFL
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MLB
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NBA
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NHL
Sports and markets rating
- Fun Bracket Mania game
- Major leagues represented
- Only six sports available
- Esports limited to LoL
Six sports isn’t the biggest number for a DFS sportsbook, especially compared to DraftKing’s 18 sports. However, what Sleeper lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality.
All of the major leagues of the available sports are present, and there are even some fun games attached to them. The Bracket Mania game is a fun little treat for when March Madness rolls around that works really well on the mobile app.
Sleeper is also one of the few DFS sites to offer esports fantasy betting, even if it is only for League of Legends (LoL). I’d have liked to see Counter-Strike or DOTA make an appearance, but I’m happy to see esports somewhat represented.
Betting features of Sleeper sportsbook
Sleeper’s main feature is its social channels, where you can set up public or friend-only contests. In private contests, you can set custom rules, such as how scoring and drafting work. You can also set up private voice and text chats within these contests.
Feature facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Bet Builder | Available |
| Cash Out | Available |
| Live betting | N/A |
| Live streaming | N/A |
| Virtual betting | N/A |
For public contests, you have builders to help you draft players and create your own team. It’s important to note that several features are not available on the desktop platform, with the desktop version mostly for drafting players for some sports.
Betting features rating
- Custom round scoring
- Private leagues between friends
- Betting navigation can be rough
- Features aren’t beginner-friendly
Sleeper offers a ton of customizability, which sets it far apart from more fixed DFS sites like ParlayPlay. While the simplicity of ParlayPlay may help some players, Sleeper’s customizability lets more experienced players go wild.
You can set up your own fantasy football contest and set how it scores, how playoffs work, multi-team trades, and even weekly league reports.
Unfortunately, most of these features are available only on the mobile app, with the desktop version allowing only drafts and some social chatting with buddies.
The site also just throws you into these features; I was prompted to set up a contest right after signing up. There are a lot of daunting terms that can be off-putting to beginners, and the site hiding the tutorials to the side doesn’t help.
Five Sleeper DFS payment methods
Sleeper offers five different transaction methods. There are two cards: VISA and Discover, two e-wallets: PayPal and Venmo, and there’s a simple bank transfer method.
You can deposit between $10 to $10,000, though this can vary depending on your local state restrictions. Your wallet can’t have more than $10,000 in total. Deposits can take 24–48 hours depending on your transaction method, with e-wallets generally being the fastest.
Payment facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of payment methods | 5 |
| Popular payment | VISA |
| Minimum deposit | $10 |
| Maximum deposit | $10,000 |
| Average deposit time | 24–48 hours |
| Minimum withdrawal | Not disclosed |
| Maximum withdrawal | $5,000 |
| Average withdrawal time | 5+ days |
| Deposit fees | N/A |
| Withdrawal fees | N/A |
Withdrawals can take over five days to process, and you can withdraw up to a maximum of $5,000 in one go. You’ll need to use the same method to withdraw as the one you’ve used to make a deposit.
Payments rating
- E-wallets available
- No transaction fees
- Long waiting times
- Missing payment terms
Let’s deal with the elephant in the room — the waiting times. It’s common for a DFS site to have a withdrawal waiting time of a few days, but five days is excessive. I’ve also never seen a DFS site, or honestly any sportsbook, have a waiting time for deposits.
The times are quite frankly excessive, and Sleeper needs to look into why this is taking so long. I get that a bank transfer always takes a while, but the whole point of using an e-wallet like PayPal is for the fast times, and Sleeper is completely negating that advantage.
I’m also not a big fan of missing or vague payment terms. There’s no information on what the minimum withdrawal amount is, and differences in transaction times between payment methods are vague.
It’s a shame because Sleeper has some good payment methods available. Updating terms and expediting processing will go a long way for Sleeper.
Is the Sleeper fantasy betting site safe?
Sleeper uses 256-bit SSL with ECDSA technology to keep your personal information safe. There is no two-factor authentication available (TFA).
You can find the responsible gaming (RG) section in the FAQ section, as one of the categories. Players on the mobile app can also access the RG tools by tapping on their profile picture, tapping on the settings icon, and then tapping on ‘Responsible Gaming.’
Safety facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Auditing seals | N/A |
| Responsible gambling seals | N/A |
| Licenses | N/A |
| SSL encryption | 256-bit |
| Two-factor authentication | N/A |
| Ever blacklisted? | N/A |
| Deposit, wager, time, and loss limits | Available |
| Self-exclusion | Available |
| Cooling-off period | N/A |
The RG section leads to Birches Health, in case players need insurance-covered care from counselors. There are also tools for self-exclusion, as well as limiters for entries, deposits, and losses.
Safety rating
- Elliptic-curve technology
- Advanced limiter tools
- No TFA available
- Hard-to-access RG page
There’s an argument that perhaps I’m being a bit too harsh on Sleeper in this section. However, the lengths that Sleeper goes to to hide its RG section astound me, and not in a good way.
On desktop, you flat out can’t access the RG section from the site if you’re logged in. Every DFS site, every sportsbook, hell, every online betting site has a link to the RG section in the footer, and none of them require you to log out to access it.
As for mobile, the RG page is a lot more accessible, and just because the FAQ is more accessible. The problem is that the RG page is out-of-date, as it doesn’t mention most of the limiters available and talks about a playtime limiter that doesn’t exist anymore.
What blows my mind the most is that the actual RG tools are really good. There are plenty of limiters available, and even a partnership with Birches Health that is buried away. Sleeper spent a lot of time and money building some great tools, and then hid them.
Support at Sleeper betting site
Sleeper offers 24/7 support across its three support methods. These are live chat, emails, and an FAQ and Help Center.
The live chat isn’t accessible on the main site, and you can instead access it from the Help Center. You can send a message to agents, or use the FAQ that’s built into the live chat.
Support facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Customer support availability | 24/7 |
| Live chat | Available |
| [email protected] | |
| Contact number | N/A |
| On-page support | FAQ and Help Center |
Responses took a few minutes to come in, and generally needed a little bit of clarification. Once the agents understood the question though, generally a very detailed answer soon followed.
Support rating
- Detailed answers
- FAQ integrated into live chat
- No phone support
- Some waiting time required
I’ll say this: the support team is certainly eager to help. They may have not always understood the questions straight away, but once the message got through, they’d work hard to give me a detailed answer.
There was always a little bit of waiting time. Nothing too major, just a few minutes here and there, but it gets noticeable after a while. You can try the FAQ for an answer, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag — some topics are very detailed, while others are extremely sparse or vague.
There’s potential at this site though. If the FAQ is improved and phone support gets added, Sleeper could have a great support service.
Sleeper’s fantasy betting platform
Sleeper has two different platforms. Its desktop platform has very limited features and is more of a tool to be used alongside the mobile app. Its main functionality is for chats, though you can draft for some sports.
The mobile app is the main platform, with all the games, features, and tools. It’s also more neatly laid out, with a UI that allows you to easily navigate the different leagues and features.
Platform facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Mobile app | iOS, Android |
| Ease of navigation | Excellent on mobile, bad on desktop |
| Filters | Advanced |
| Search function | Advanced, not available on desktop |
| Loading speed | 2 seconds |
| UI and UX rating | Excellent on mobile, bad on desktop |
| Other products | N/A |
Both platforms are fast, with two-second loading times and no glitches. The dark blue-on-white color scheme helps bring out the different buttons and filters for navigation.
Platform rating
- Two-second loading times
- Advanced search and filters
- Missing features on desktop
- Long sign-up process
It’s not uncommon for a site to be desktop-only or mobile-only, however, I don’t know if I’ve ever run into a site that keeps insisting it’s available for both, even though it’s clearly built with only mobile in mind.
Sleeper happily advertises its desktop platform and even lets you create a custom league. But the harsh truth with the desktop is that, compared to its mobile alternative, it’s garbage. Most sports are missing, there’s no search bar, you can’t find any public contests to join, and you can’t even access the FAQ while logged in.
Comparing the two platforms is like comparing the Statue of Liberty to its cheap replica in Ireland. The mobile platform is faster, has all the missing sports and features, and can be accessed on the go. In short — it’s just better.
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