Fans of fantasy sports can put their expertise to the test by participating in them. Participants select their own players and gain points based on the performance of their chosen squad, giving games a new dimension. Millions of individuals engage in fantasy leagues for fun against friends, family, and coworkers all over the world, however, an influx of people are now engaging in tournaments for real money. Although the industry is thriving, which fantasy sports are the most popular among fans?
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Football (USA)
Fantasy football is the most popular fantasy sport in the United States, with 35 million players, much outnumbering other fantasy sports like baseball, basketball, and ice hockey. For decades, all fantasy leagues were unofficial and had no direct ties to the NFL, but the league ultimately accepted the concept of fantasy leagues a few years ago, and fantasy football currently accounts for roughly 78% of all fantasy league players in the country.
In 2019, DraftKings became the NFL’s first official daily fantasy partner, and last year, the NFL became the last of the major American sports leagues to completely embrace sports gambling, agreeing to deals for a total of $1 billion with a variety of operators (the list of online bookmakers at Bookmaker-Expert.com presents those who stand out, not only for fantasy sports but beyond). The agreements will grant the operators access to official game statistics and content, as well as a presence on the official NFL app and NFL website.
Every year, fantasy NFL leagues will host a draft day where players will take turns selecting NFL stars for their teams, just as in the real league. However, in NFL fantasy leagues, only one club can select each player.
Soccer (UK)
Fantasy football (soccer) is the most popular and extensively played fantasy sport in the United Kingdom, with over 8 million users and growing. Many people participate in their own private fantasy leagues, but the Premier League has its own official Fantasy Premier League platform, which has more than 8 million participants and is still increasing.
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and the Premier League is the most well-known soccer league on the planet, so it’s no surprise that the league’s official fantasy games have become so popular, with fans creating their own leagues with friends, family, and coworkers, as well as having their teams ranked against every other user on the planet.
Due to the nature of fantasy football in the United Kingdom, where players can choose any player they choose for their team and many teams can choose the same player, a global ranking system for fantasy teams is only conceivable. This is in contrast to how fantasy leagues in the United States operate. This allows fans to build their ideal lineup, but it also makes it tough for your team to stand out because many other teams will have picked similar lineups.
Cricket (India)
Cricket is a hugely popular sport in India, with around half of the country’s 1.3 billion people watching it every year, so it’s no surprise that fantasy cricket has millions of fans. According to a recent study conducted by the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) in partnership with KPMG, India currently has over 100 million fantasy cricket players, but analysts estimate the industry will grow to over 400 million in the next decade.
The most popular fantasy cricket game is Dream11, which allows fans to construct their own dream 11-man squad for the IPL Twenty20 cricket event. Cricket’s regulations are complicated, but the game has a straightforward scoring system in which players receive one point for each run or 25 points for each wicket, as well as different extras for their players hitting sixes, scoring centuries, or hitting the stumps for a run-out.
The Future of Fantasy Sports
The fantasy sports industry has exploded in recent years, thanks to the widespread adoption of smartphones and the introduction of new apps that have made participation easier than ever. Fans have gotten more engaged with their favorite teams and players as leagues and tournaments have embraced the idea of fantasy sports, collaborating with other fantasy platforms or launching separate ones.
Fantasy leagues provide an additional level of excitement for fans who now have a stake in the performance of specific players, as well as new money sources for clubs and leagues that can license their intellectual property. If a sport has a fan following, adding a fantasy element is both profitable and popular – a win-win situation.
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