Introduction to Fantasy Sports
If you’ve heard this for the first time, let’s tell you what the Fantasy Gaming platform is all about. It is an online digital niche, where sports enthusiasts, especially amateurs assemble to compete against each other. The groups are classified based on their favourite sports.
How does it work?
If you subscribe to the Fantasy Gaming network, you will be required to first select real players to build your virtual team. This team will be playing on your behalf against the opponent team in your chosen game.
The Games
Fantasy Gaming offers a plethora of popular sports that you can select from. This includes football, Fantasy Cricket, kabaddi, basketball and other games. Each time your team performs well, you score points. This means that your performance will depend on the performance of your chosen players during the live match.
There is a credit point system and depending on the team’s performance in the actual game, the team which scores the highest points wins.
Fantasy Sports India
Not limited to one region, this exclusive sports gaming has become very popular in India as well. If you were to look at the statistics of Dream11, there are over 60M subscribers involved in a series of sports that include football, cricket, kabaddi, hockey as well as basketball.
The leagues have been expanding ever since they were formed and with rising popularity, Dream11 has also signed up a partnership contract with international leagues and federations.
Some of these include the prominent
- IPL – Indian Premier League (for Fantasy Cricket)
- Big Bash League (for Cricket)
- NBA- National Basketball Association (for Basketball)
- Pro Kabaddi League (for Kabaddi)
- International Hockey Federation (for Hockey)
The best part is that gamers can enjoy playing in the professional leagues and enjoy the best quality of gaming.
Equal opportunities for players
If you are well versed with the sport you are participating in, you are likely to seal more winning opportunities. A good understanding of the sport you select to play will enable you to make a comprehensive choice when forming your team. This will boost your ranking and offer a better scope of winning. Note that when you begin, you will be allotted the same credit to create your team. Dream11 is known to provide fair opportunities to its gamers and this is ascertained by its strict rules on Fantasy Cricket.
Legality
For players passionate about engaging in fantasy cricket they are highly passionate about, Dream11 is the ideal platform to set their goals. If you are concerned about its legality, the fact that it has been endorsed by the Supreme Court and High Court ensures that you can play fearlessly. Dream11 authorizes players to use their discretion in selecting players of their choice. This guarantees an equal winning opportunity for every individual gamer.
Real-Money Play
If you are confident of the sport you want to stake in and keen to win cash, Dream11 provides the perfect platform to earn it by participating in real matches.
What makes Fantasy Games popular?
If the success of Fantasy Games makes you wonder about the reason behind its popularity, let’s tell you that this success is dedicated to the gaming enthusiasts. It is the sports fans who follow every match with passion and are ready to participate in it. With the huge number of leagues, players can participate in their choicest games and create their dream team.
India Fantasy Sports: A Glimpse of the Industry
The legality and GST are common concerns that any gamer would have before investing in the leagues. This brief can get you a better insight into how it works. If you follow the latest news and buzz around Fantasy Sports, you must have seen MS Dhoni promoting the IPL featuring Dream11 and Virat Kohli featuring in an advert for the MPL (Mobile Premier League). Doesn’t that shout out its brand value?
In India, the Fantasy Sports itself has over 60 platforms. According to the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming and KPMG reports, there are about 20 million players in India in the network which the Fantasy channels are catering to. In 2019, around 100 million sports enthusiasts were estimated to enjoy Fantasy sports via its online and mobile platforms. It is anticipated that with time a larger number of people will join the club.
It is the high-speed, uninterrupted 4G mobile connectivity that has become the primary reason behind the success of Fantasy Sports across India. Thanks to services such as Reliance Jio that has made this dream a reality.
As one of the largest sports companies, Dream11 has been progressing towards emerging as a top fantasy cricket brand. It is backed by Tencent (a Chinese internet giant) and has acquired the Unicorn status. With Steadview Capital’s funding and Dream11 siphoning series D funds, the future looks bright for the stakeholders as well.
Players wishful of playing any of the fantasy sports can navigate to the website and join a fantasy league team. It was around 2008 when the fantasy cricket was launched during the IPL when this gained momentum.
Today, there are a plethora of fantasy sports games offered via a multitude of the platform. In India, Fantasy Cricket league has acclaimed a tremendous amount of appreciation and yes the credits go to the large cricket fan base. Along with cricket, the other Fantasy Sports attractions are basketball, badminton, hockey, kabaddi, football, squash, and Formula 1.
Is Fantasy Sports Legal in India?
Currently, Fantasy Sports aren’t allowed in the states of Assam, Odisha and Telangana. It’s not that Fantasy Cricket and Sports has not been into controversy. A petitioner from Mumbai filed a case stating that Dream11 was escaping the GST and that it encouraged gambling in the country. In response to this, the Bombay High Court judges promptly rejected the allegations. Based on the Court’s ruling, 18% GST applies to fantasy sports and Dream11. It was held in another ruling by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana that players require a certain level of skills to engage in Fantasy Sports and that’s why it cannot be termed as a lottery.
While there are no laws in India per se, The Co-Founder and Chief-Executive Officer of Dream11, Harsh Jain prompted the establishment of the IFSG in 2017. With its self-regulatory standards, the IFSG rules this sports gaming initiative.
Among the popular Fantasy Cricket league, fantasy is Dream11, Mobile Premier League, Scoring11, 11Wickets, Halaplay, Fanfight and others. It is estimated that with the growing popularity of fantasy sports, this number is soon going to touch the 100-mark.
History of Fantasy Sports
Although it wasn’t so prominent, the origin of fantasy sports can be dated to the period of World War II. It was around this time that many sports enthusiasts were seen selecting their favourite players and keeping a track of their scores. Sometime in the 50s decade, the game picked up in Oakland. First, it was the fantasy golf that was initiated by Wilfred Winkenbach followed by the Fantasy Football League in 1962 and the Fantasy Baseball League in 1960.
Later in 2007, it was the Daily Fantasy Sports that went live. Known as DFS, they get players for shorter spells. Players can enjoy this in the form of contests against an entry fee. The organizers charge a fee for organizing the event and for prizes for the contests. If you are playing a Dream11 contest, you will have to pay 15% as service charges. Only playing with real money will make you eligible to winning cash upon rising victorious in a contest you’ve registered for.
Transforming cricket fans to stakeholders: the role of Fantasy Sports
Fantasy Sports was already experimenting with a range of popular games and local players which was the pitching point that scores them high points. The audience engaged more in what they could connect with and became stakeholders from being fans.
If you take the example of the Manchester United Football Club, you will understand what we are talking of. Every football fan can relate to such clubs. If you remember, the dream victory of the Indian team at Old Trafford was enjoyed by millions of users on their smartphones. It was just not a matter of prestige for several Indian sports enthusiasts to in over Pakistan but every misfield or dismissal counted as it affected them financially. A survey report from IFSG and KPMG revealed that in 2018 the Fantasy Sports platforms covered more than 70 million Indians.
Data indicates that as much as 11880Cr INR or $1.73 billion was staked in the emerging sports category.
The only challenge has been the perception that Fantasy Sports is akin to sports betting and this has been stunting its mainstream growth. There’s no denying how Fantasy Sports has sprouted. As pointed out by the StarPick CEO and Co-Founder, in India, the cricket betting market is worth $150 and so many funds in circulation, the government must keep a close watch on how this amount is being used.
Concluding thoughts
Dream11 is one of the leading representatives of Fantasy Cricket and Sports with about 90% of their market share in India. Fantasy Sports in India is estimated to cross the $5 billion mark over the next two years. In 2019, the industry has already roped in 100 million gamers.
Players now have the advantage of predicting results of an on-going match along with their participation in their favourite sport. It’s this platform that allows gamers to stake in matches happening in India and overseas at a time. At present, the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming sets the standards for Fantasy Sports across the country. Recognized as a game that requires skills, knowledge and some experience, Fantasy Sports has conveniently been ruled out of the sports betting genre. It is believed that the ability to analyze players requires knowledge ad information unlike that in any chance-based game. While sports enthusiast from most Indian states can play the Fantasy Sports, the league is yet to be accessible to residents of Odisha, Telangana and Assam. 18% GST applicable makes things quite different and also distinguishes it from betting on sports.
How to win fantasy cricket and win real cash?
There has been a massive surge in the popularity of fantasy league gaming in India. One can make easy money online by paying fantasy league games. There are numerous websites and apps to play games and win real cash. A lot of these apps cater to mobile phone users. If you are not aware of the concept of fantasy gaming, then you can read further to get acquainted with the basics.
Making money through fantasy cricket
The idea behind fantasy cricket is fairly simple. You need to create a virtual team of eleven players. Certain apps also permit you to pick a substitute while creating your team. In order to win a cash prize, you need to make sure to create the best team for every match. The most vital part about winning in fantasy cricket is to select the right captain and vice-captain. Hence, it is best to study the form of the players before choosing any captain and vice-captain for your virtual team.
Choosing the team
While playing fantasy cricket, you will have to choose eleven players who you think will outshine in that particular match depending upon the form and pitch conditions. You can create your dream team using your knowledge and understanding. The most basic and popular format for creating a virtual team in most of the fantasy cricket websites and apps is
- Bowlers: 3-5
- All-rounders: 1-3
- Wicketkeeper- 1
- Batsmen-3-5
This implies that you can form your team by choosing 1 wicket keeper, 3-5 bowlers, 1-3 all-rounders, and 3-5 batsmen.
Tips and tricks to create the best team
You can choose any player as the captain and vice-captain of your virtual team. It can be a wicket-keeper, bowler, all-rounder or a batsman. You will be awarded double points for the points scored by the captain of your virtual team. The vice-captain usually fetches about 1.5x points. In order to create a perfect dream team, you need to make sure to follow regular news updates pertaining to the match. Do not forget to consider the pitch conditions while forming your team. If the pitch favors batsmen, it is best to select five batsmen in your team. If the pitch favors bowlers, it is best to go for more bowlers.
Play fantasy cricket
Fantasy games are quite simple to play. You need to pick 11players by utilizing your knowledge of cricket. Creating a balanced team will enhance your chances of winning the game. Here are the steps you need to follow.
- Choose a match for which you intend to create a virtual team
- Create your virtual team
- Enter a contest
- Follow the match
- Withdraw your winnings
Tips and Tricks
- Enter contests with less members
It is always best to contest with fewer opponents rather than fighting against thousands of opponents for a win. This is because your chance of ranking within 20 is quite low in such contests. In order to make more money, you should always enter contests with 20 or fewer participants.
- Have a better understanding of the points system
Every fantasy gaming website or app has its own parameters for offering points to the participants. The point format decides how well balanced your team is. The players are offered points for scoring runs, catches, wickets, half-century and a century.
- Choose your captain and vice-captain wisely
This is the most crucial aspect of a game. Choosing the right combination of captain and vice-captain is certainly going to increase your chances of winning.
- Refer and earn
Most of the fantasy apps offer a referral program to its players. You need to share your referral link or code in order to earn a bonus. You can utilize that amount to enter into cash contests for free. This is one of the best ways to play fantasy league games as you have nothing to lose in the end.
- Sign-up bonus
Most of the fantasy websites offer a welcome or signup bonus to the users. This will help them get started off over their platform. You can utilize the bonus earned in entering cash contests.
- Keep a tab on player performance
If you want to win in fantasy league games, you need to keep a tab on the current form of all the players. It is best not to choose a player based on reputation. It is vital to consider the current form. Make a note of the players who have performed well in recent matches.
- Deposit money offers
Some apps offer you coupons upon depositing money for entering contests. These coupons provide you additional cash bonuses that you can utilize in entering fantasy league contests.
- Playing fantasy cricket for free
In order to enter your virtual team in any contest, you will have to make a deposit. However, there are certain apps that let you enter the contest for free and still be able to make money. CricPlay is one such app that lets you participate in contests without investing any money. You can win coins by watching ads. You can participate in daily predictions for winning cash rewards.
Fantasy apps promise unrestricted entertainment to users. Fantasy gaming is not just about cricket anymore. You can create teams for football, basketball, hockey, and kabaddi matches as well.
