India is on its way to become a real sporting nation, where fans in the country wants to engage himself or herself with the sport in many ways rather than just watching the sport. According to reports, market competition is intensifying, with the expected fantasy sports users growing to 100 million by 2020.In a fantasy game, users create their own imaginary teams using real players from different teams scheduled to play in a league or a match (football, cricket, kabaddi and more sports). No doubt it is a great way to connect with a sporting community. Hearing someoneās strategy, competing against them and more are all things that make playing fantasy sports worthwhile.
It is been seen a gamble involves more skill than chance sets up susceptible people to develop addictive behaviour. Ruined relationships, mental health, Financial ruin are the major problems which are seen in youth these days. The acceptance and excitement for fantasy sports is rising in India but is it becoming an addiction among the youth? For those who are dealing with gambling problems or addiction, isnāt this trend alarming these two reasons!
The fantasy sports in India is already the next big industry. But what people donāt see is itās a trap. Actually not a trap but just needs a lot of luck and mathematics. The only people making money out of this are the industry owners. Dream 11 became the first multi-billion dollar sports industry and Iāve hardly heard anyone who has come up to me and said I won 20K from that. Itās all a hoax and I personally feel that if fantasy sports is made legal in India so should other gambling and betting sites be. Atleast itāll cut down the middle men and the bookies. Does anyone agree?
Agree with you - @Yash & @Akshay. Itās a trap for people who dream of getting rich overnight without hard work. The odds of winning are very slim on these fantasy sports apps, equivalent to winning lottery tickets or winning big at gambling centers or casinos. What people donāt realize is that one person gets lucky for every thousands of people losing their hard earned money (that success rate too is controlled by the companies running these apps / sites).
Apart from the financial loss, these games are highly addictive. And as with any addiction it becomes difficult for people to step out of the vicious circle of trying one more time in the hopes of cracking it the next time around.
Any time a player needs to bet his money first in order to earn big, it is a big red flag that people need to recognize. And I agree, the Government should have stricter regulations for companies running these fantasy sports.
I would however differentiate fantasy sports from eSports where eSports conducted on competitive grounds would be considered as āsportsā keeping up with the technology age that we all live in. eSports were featured in the 2018 Asian Games as a demonstration sport and is planned to be included in 2022 Asian Games as a full medal sport. eSports is also likely to be part of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Personally, I believe that playing fantasy games for money is definitely a form of gambling, and even if it isnāt legally classed as a form of gambling. The games have many elements (including high event frequencies, low entry fee per game, lots of games, etc.) that can fuel excessive use and expose vulnerable players to harm. Fantasy games operators also keep adding ease of use features which increases the speed & frequency of play, another factor that adds to addictive use.
No doubt, fantasy sports has become one of the most sought after activities for sports lovers in India but on the other side it is a growing addiction.
Sports lovers these days have tons of fantasy apps installed in their smartphone. They try their hands on each app. There are some people who do not know the exact āsportā but still fantasize about winning big amount from fantasy apps. Though Bombay HC has ruled fantasy sports to be a game of skill and not gambling its the āself-controlā
you should keep an eye on.
The best fantasy sports are subjective and depend on individual preferences. However, here are some of the most popular fantasy sports:
Fantasy Football: Fantasy football is the most popular fantasy sport. It is played by millions of people every year, and it involves drafting a team of NFL players and competing against other teams in a league.
Fantasy Baseball: Fantasy baseball is another popular fantasy sport, and it is similar to fantasy football. Participants draft a team of MLB players and compete against other teams in a league.
