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After briefly going dark in its most important market, Fliff is back in California with a different playbook. The company has reentered the state by launching Fliff Superstars, a peer-to-peer daily fantasy sports (DFS) game designed to operate outside the sweepstakes model that was shut down at the start of the year.
California remains one of the most valuable sports gaming markets in the country, even without legal sports betting. DFS has filled that gap for years, making Fliff’s return less surprising and more strategic.
Why peer-to-peer DFS is thriving in California
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Sports betting remains illegal in California, leaving daily fantasy sports as one of the few real-money sports gaming options available. That reality has allowed DFS platforms to build massive user bases while sportsbooks wait on the sidelines.
That opportunity now comes with legal uncertainty. In 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an opinion stating that DFS contests violate state gambling laws. While enforcement has not followed, the opinion triggered widespread changes across the industry.
Operators such as Underdog and PrizePicks responded by moving away from house-banked formats and toward peer-to-peer contests. Fliff’s Superstars product fits squarely into that trend, positioning itself as a game where users compete against each other rather than the platform.
Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly disagreed with the attorney general’s conclusion, signaling openness to a future compromise. For now, DFS platforms continue operating as lawsuits and policy debates play out, leaving peer-to-peer formats as one of the safest lanes available.
Inside Fliff Superstars’ peer-to-peer format
Superstars lives inside the existing Fliff app rather than operating as a standalone platform. Players choose an entry fee and then select between two formats.
Max Play requires every selection to win to cash. Flex Play allows for one losing pick while remaining eligible for a payout. The structure mirrors pick-’em-style DFS contests, but the mechanics are framed as peer-to-peer competition.
Players select at least two athletes or teams and decide whether each will overperform or underperform a statistical projection. Payouts come from a shared prize pool rather than the house.
Guaranteed prize pools, or GPPs, are funded entirely by player entries. Fliff does not act as the counterparty, a distinction the company hopes will reduce regulatory risk while still offering real-money gameplay.
Buying time in California’s gaming standoff
Fliff’s DFS launch follows California’s sweepstakes ban, which took effect Jan. 1 and forced the company to temporarily exit the state. Industry groups have argued the ban costs California billions in potential revenue, though lawmakers remain unmoved.
By shifting to peer-to-peer DFS, Fliff keeps a real-money product alive in a market it cannot afford to abandon. The move mirrors broader industry behavior, as companies such as DraftKings and FanDuel roll out prediction-style products to remain visible in restricted states.
Superstars may not be a permanent solution, but it buys Fliff time. California sports betting will ultimately hinge on tribal support and a statewide referendum, a process that could take years.
Until then, peer-to-peer DFS remains one of the few viable paths forward. Fliff’s return shows operators are still willing to adapt, reshape products and take calculated risks to maintain a foothold in the country’s largest untapped sports betting market.
