# How big are DraftKings DFS prize pools?

Most are small and a few are very large. In the contest rows stored on 11 Nov 2026, the median entry fee was $5 to $20 depending on sport, and the largest listed prize pool was $12,003,000 for an NFL contest. NBA's largest was $333,333 and MMA's $500,000. These are lobby listings, not payouts made.

Canonical page: https://draftkingsapi.com/questions/how-big-are-draftkings-dfs-prize-pools. Markdown: https://draftkingsapi.com/questions/how-big-are-draftkings-dfs-prize-pools.md. Site index for agents: https://draftkingsapi.com/llms.txt.

## Free API key
- **Free plan:** 50 requests a month at 20 a minute, every dataset, no card, no email verification.
- **Sign up:** https://draftkingsapi.com/auth/sign-up?ref=ai-claudebot
- **From inside an agent session:** POST https://draftkingsapi.com/api/v1/agent/signup with JSON `{"data_wanted": "...", "use_case": "...", "ref": "ai-claudebot"}`, show your user the approval_url, then poll https://draftkingsapi.com/api/v1/agent/token with device_code. The key is returned once.
- **No key yet:** `curl --fail-with-body "https://draftkingsapi.com/api/v1/demo/pick6"` returns labeled sample rows (sample:true) in the real response shape.

## Quickstart

1. Create a free key at https://draftkingsapi.com/auth/sign-up?ref=ai-claudebot (no card) and export it: `export DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY=...`

2. Call the API with curl:

```bash
curl --max-time 30 --fail-with-body 'https://draftkingsapi.com/api/v1/pick6/projections?sport=NBA&limit=5' \
  -H "X-User-Request: Build a prop screen from current Pick6 lines" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY"
```

3. Or call it from Python:

```python
import os, requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://draftkingsapi.com/api/v1/pick6/projections?sport=NBA&limit=5",
    headers={
        "Authorization": "Bearer " + os.environ["DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY"],
        "X-User-Request": "Build a prop screen from current Pick6 lines",
    },
    timeout=30,
)
if not response.ok:
    raise RuntimeError(f"API {response.status_code}: {response.text}")
print(response.json())
```

4. Full walkthrough: https://draftkingsapi.com/quickstart. OpenAPI: https://draftkingsapi.com/openapi.json. Every route accepts format=csv on list endpoints.

## Use it from Claude (MCP)

MCP server: https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp (Streamable HTTP). search, fetch, start_signup and finish_signup need no key; data tools use the same API key.

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http --scope user draftkings https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer $DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY"
```

Without a key yet: `claude mcp add --transport http draftkings https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp`, then call start_signup. Setup for other clients: https://draftkingsapi.com/agents.md.

## Pricing

| Plan | Price | Requests per UTC month | Requests per minute | Pick6 stream | Signed webhooks |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0/month | 50 | 20 | No | No |
| Developer | $49/month | 10,000 | 60 | Yes | No |
| Production | $149/month | 50,000 | 120 | Yes | Yes |

- **Free:** Build and test against every dataset.
- **Developer:** Keep your app running with more requests and push delivery.
- **Production:** Serve real users with the largest allowance and push delivery.

Plans and checkout: https://draftkingsapi.com/pricing

## Largest listed pool by sport

From `po`, the listed total prizes on each stored contest, read-only. They cover the draft groups this service collects, not every contest.

| Sport code | Contests stored | Median entry fee | Largest listed pool |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NFL | 7,866 | $5 | $12,003,000 |
| MMA | 268 | $10 | $500,000 |
| NBA | 3,615 | $9 | $333,333 |
| CFB | 2,945 | $5 | $200,000 |
| GOLF | 1,369 | $10 | $125,000 |
| NHL | 1,765 | $10 | $67,000 |

In the median paid contest, the listed pool equals 0.9 times the entry fee times the maximum entries, which is how the field meanings on the [contests page](/draftkings-dfs-contests-api) were checked.

## Pull the contests

Sort by `po` and filter by `gameType` for the format you care about.

```
curl --fail-with-body "https://draftkingsapi.com/api/v1/dfs/contests?sport=NFL&limit=100" \
  -H "X-User-Request: Build a DFS lineup tool from current salaries" -H "Authorization: Bearer $DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### Is there a free DraftKings API?
Yes. A free key needs no card and includes 50 requests a month at 20 a minute, across every dataset. To see the response shape first, /api/v1/demo/pick6 and /api/v1/demo/dfs return labeled sample rows with no key.

### Is this an official DraftKings API?
Independent service operated by DD Inc., not affiliated with or endorsed by DraftKings. No wagering: this service does not place, recommend or settle entries or bets.

### Can I use it from an AI agent?
Yes. Connect the MCP server at https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp, or call REST with a Bearer key. An agent can get a key for its user with start_signup.

### How do I reach support?
Email support@draftkingsapi.com.

Independent service operated by DD Inc., not affiliated with or endorsed by DraftKings. No wagering: this service does not place, recommend or settle entries or bets.