Sports are an integral part of entertainment in Indian society. We all know cricket is not a mere game in India, it is a religion. People have always looked at different ways to involve more in the game, like playing gully cricket, local tournaments in society, etc. Fantasy Sports in India has opened wide gates for sports fans to feel the real game from the corner of their home.

Back in the year 2016, only 2 million users were playing fantasy sports in India and now the fantasy sports apps have a 100 million user base.

IPL is the most played format in fantasy sports. In the beginning, Indians were enjoying only cricket on fantasy sports platforms. Now, the fantasy sports operators are offering multiple leagues of different games like cricket, basketball, football, baseball, and more. According to the research, users have shown interest in playing fantasy football and basketball in the last few years.

Business of Fantasy Sports in recent years

According to the search reports of the KPMG and FIFS, in the financial year 2020, the business of fantasy sports in India was $ 340.47 million and it was increased 3 times to the business 2019. The market has noticed the 2500% boost of fantasy sports users and the fantasy sports operators have increased by 700% in the last decade.

Fantasy sports in India have boomed in 2020 due to the pandemic. As per the experts, the industry will be worth USD 3.7 billion by the year 2024, which seems to be exponential growth.

Nearly 100 million users were active on fantasy sports platforms in 2020 and millions of enthusiastic players are still out only watching the game. The involvement and time spent on each league will be increased per user in the coming years.

Fantasy sports are not limited to urban areas only, now users from urban areas are also involved to play fantasy sports. The availability of cheap internet and mobile phones is one reason for the growth of fantasy sports in India.

Myth or Reality of Fantasy Cricket

According to the statistics, the Future of Fantasy Sports App has a bright future in the country. But, the misunderstanding of people about fantasy sports is stopping the growth in India. In India, many users and governments think that Fantasy Sport is a new face of gambling, nothing else.

According to the one report of KPMG of July 2020, legality is the major obstacle in the path of the bright future of fantasy sports in India. Even after the issues of legality, the fantasy sports industry has generated revenue of Rs. 2470 crores last year. As per the new document named Guiding Principles for the Uniform National-Level Regulation of Online Fantasy Sports in India, NITI Aayog noticed that India can generate Rs.10,000 crore in FDI in the upcoming years. There is a dire need to recognize the fantasy sport and let the game evolve in the country.

Even after the number of hearings to legalize fantasy sports in India, it is not decided yet, whether it is a matter of central government or individual states. If the government leaves the decision on individual states, then the particular game or fantasy sports app will lag to fulfil the conditions of other states.

Using player’s names and team logos is another concern on fantasy sports platforms. IP laws allow players to have certain rights like image rights. Fantasy sports are built around the different leagues/formats and the users. It doesn’t cover any specific players and allows the users to use the platforms to enable their IP. The primary objective of using images and names of the players is to identify the users and endorse the game.

Future of the Fantasy Sports Apps

Madras High Court has announced the release of strict guidelines for online games. The court is worried about the way these online platforms attract youngsters to play fantasy games. The involvement of online money attracts the users the most. Even the government has sent the notice to MPL ambassador Virat Kohli to stop promoting such platforms.

The Bombay High Court decision on fantasy sports is challenged before the Supreme Court. Fantasy Sports operators and users are demanding to consider fantasy sports a game of skills and not chance. The Supreme court decision is still pending.

Those who know about the game are playing and alerting about the risk involved in the game through advertisements.