Man this year has sucked. I've been a die-hard sports fan my whole life, so not having any live-action to watch the last few months has been rough. Every year, the start of the NFL season is usually like Christmas Eve on steroids for me, and even though I'm really pumped to have Football back on our screens, I'm really going to miss going to live games.

There's nothing like being there to witness the action in person. My buddies and I usually go to a ton of games every season, and always have a blast tailgating and screaming our heads off at the game.

Every game, my friends and I always make some silly bets between us, which usually ends up with one of us having to pay the bar tab for the whole group at the next one.

We were debating how we could still keep up the betting action remotely when my buddy Jake told us he'd recently started using FanDuel Sportsbook. I've seen FanDuel ads on TV but never thought about checking them out because we were having so much fun with our in-person bets. But Jake told us they have an insane offer for first-time users that we couldn't miss out on.

I wasn't sure that sports betting could fill the void of going to the games in person, but I decided to check it out anyway.

I've never bet online before, so I was worried it would be some overcomplicated process and I would have no idea what I'm doing. But signing up for a FanDuel Sportsbook account is actually really easy and can be done online or through their app, which is free to download and available for iOS and Android.

Then, all you have to do is provide some basic info, like your name and SSN, and you're good to go. I was hesitant to input my social, but then I realized they ask for it to keep all your info safe and stop coaches and players from betting.

Then, you're good to start making bets. I didn't really know where to begin, but luckily FanDuel's site is filled with lots of useful tips for newbies. It's really easy to make deposits and cash out your winnings at any time, too. All you have to do is link up your bank account or debit card.

I was excited to get started thanks to FanDuel Sportsbook's awesome offer for new users - a $1000 risk-free bet! All you have to do is place a wager up to $1000 (the minimum requirement to get started is $10). If you win, you get the amount returned and as well as the winning amount to use as site credit. And even if you lose, you will receive the amount back to try again.

FanDuel Sportsbook has betting for every sport you can think of- NBA, MLD, Soccer, golf and more. Football is what I know, so I'm getting my feet wet betting on that first before I make any other bets.

The NFL season is underway, and I gotta admit- having some money on my team definitely makes watching from home more exciting. Our group chat has been on fire, and I've actually won a little cash. I'm still missing the live-action, but FanDuel Sportsbook has put the excitement back into this NFL season for me.