Fantasy Sports Thrive Under Lockdown, 5 Million Users Engaged

According to a press release from The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), fantasy platforms in the country saw over 5 million fans play between April and June of this year.

The Federation, which represents and self-regulates fantasy sports websites and apps, reported that over 1,000 fantasy matches took place.

Operators shrugged off the disappointment caused by the postponement of the IPL cricket, by offering games on new sports like baseball, handball, and rugby.

While live sport in India has been on pause, European football - including top competitions like the Premier League, Bundesliga, and La Liga - have restarted in the last few weeks.

Attention also turned to cricket leagues and tournaments in several nations not known for their cricket prowess, such as Vanuatu and Finland, as well as in the Caribbean.

Some FIFS members even helped set up and fund these tournaments by becoming a sponsor, putting funds back into the sports ecosystem.

Quoted in the press release, a FIFS member said: "Fantasy sports is back and will be in full strength soon with mainstream tournaments across football, cricket and basketball resuming. Starting July, a host of international and domestic cricket tournaments, UEFA Champions League football, NBA basketball and many more will join the already-live tournaments like Bundesliga, La Liga, EPL, FA Cup and Coppa Italia.

"With sports resuming globally, most likely without an in-stadia audience, digital fan engagement platforms like fantasy sports will become crucial in driving deeper fan engagement."

Although this report suggests fantasy operators are thriving, it's not all good news. We previously reported in April how Apne11 had suspended operations blaming coronavirus.