Fantasy sport games are games in which the real players assemble teams of virtual players, that are given specific skills and actual real-life statistics, in order to resemble to reality. Then, real-life players play against other players, by using the teams they assembled one against each other. Seasons are converted into “one-week” timed tournaments. After they compete, they get points that are complied. Football and NFL are the most preferred, but baseball goes first in the USA.
Fantasy sports have been around for quite a while, marking its beginnings short after world war II and officially credited by Daniel Okrent in 1979, in fantasy baseball game. With the influence of technology, personal computers (desktops) internet and mobile phones, the industry has boomed. One Australian company has estimated the worth of the industry at about $2B, growing by 10% each year.
Obviously, the internet has a very big influence on the fantasy sports industry, thus booming once with the rise of networking, web sites and personal computers in 1990. Unlike real games, players could play a whole season in just a week. But how does that industry look in numbers? With an annual growth of over 10%, an Australian company has reported that the industry is worth over $2B. This is how a statistic of the FSTA industry group looks like:
| Category | US | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 15% | 19% |
| Adults | 13% | 18% |
| Teens | 18% | 30% |
| Males | 19% | 20% |
| Females | 8% | 5% |
| College educated | 18% | 22% |
| No college | 10% | 11% |
| HH income >=$50K | 16% | 15% |
| HH income < $50K | 10% | 10% |
Some consider fantasy sports as a form of gambling, others are arguing that there is more than just “chance”. A “calculated result” can be estimated using information and certain skills attributed to virtual players, in order to foresee the outcome of the match. Fantasy sports range from baseball and basket to auto racing, boxing, cricket football, golf, hockey and almost all sports we can think of.
Also the rise of mobile apps make it even easier for people to “hop in” and start playing, without being dependent from a desktop and internet connection . Mobile phones and Wi-fi are making everything much easier. People can join such activities with their friends, form teams or compete against each other in a more friendly interface, rather than just looking at matches. The desire to look at other matches is growing, people try to get more information about in-game players, their skill-tree and attributions in order to grow the strength of their own teams.
Malta is the first European country to regulate DFS. The decision made was that the DFS no longer require a gambling license in order to function. Daily fantasy sports, continue to grow in popularity and attract new people, willing to bet and follow specific competitions in order to gain bigger winnings.
It’s definitely an industry with a very bright future. Those who play not only will continue playing, and exploring the fascinating world of DFS but will also introduce their friends to it. Competitive games against friends or people you know, is much more fun rather than engage in matches with complete strangers. And it can also make people play more.
