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GamePlan 2020 theme: ‘Good for Sports, Good for India’

The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), India’s first and only self-regulatory industry body for Fantasy Sports (FS), is back with the third edition of its Annual Conference – GamePlan 2020. This year’s event is themed as ‘Good for Sports, Good for India’, and is scheduled to take place at Le Meridien, New Delhi on March 5, 2020.

GamePlan 2020 will witness two highly engaging panel discussions – a) “How FS is supporting the growing sports ecosystem in India” and b) “Growth Triggers – How FS growth is fuelling the growth of supporting businesses and vice versa”. Further, FIFS will launch a report in collaboration with KPMG on ‘Business of Fantasy Sports’. The report will showcase the FS industry’s growth, business and economic impact in India. This will also be the first time FIFS will host and organize India’s first and only Fantasy Sports Awards that will recognise the outstanding work done in the industry.

With over 250 attendees, GamePlan 2020 will witness the presence of several industry stalwarts, who will deliberate on the impact of Fantasy Sports on real-life sports and the Indian economy.NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant, will be gracing this event as the chief guest. India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma, will be the guest of honour. The other dignitaries include AWS worldwide technical leader – games Nari Gopala, AWS digital native director and head Navdeep Manaktala , Dream11 co-founder and CEO Harsh Jain, MyTeam11 co-founder and COO Sanjit Sihag, FIFS advisor and former executive director with commonwealth games Amrit Mathur, Delhi and ex-chief operating officer, Delhi Daredevils and FIFS advisor and former director-general of police of Maharashtra AN Roy . The conference will also see participation from stakeholders across the fantasy sports fraternity and sports leagues.

FIFS chairman John Loffhagen said, “We are thrilled to announce the third edition of our Annual Fantasy Sports Conference – GamePlan 2020. Being held in New Delhi for the first time, the discussions at the Conference will focus on sports fan engagement and the current landscape of fantasy sports in India. We look forward to launching India’s first Fantasy Sports Awards and celebrate the phenomenal growth of FS and its impact on India’s Sports industry.”

GamePlan 2020 has garnered attention and support from some of the best brands in the industry. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the ‘Title Sponsor’. PayU Payments, Dream11 and FanCode have joined as the Gold Sponsors, and MyTeam11, SBI General, TransUnion are the Bronze Sponsors.

The last two editions, held in Mumbai and attended by 450+ delegates, witnessed industry-related report launches and engaging panel discussions. Attendees for the event included leaders from organizations like technology platforms, game developers, Fantasy Sports operators, financial institutions, payment gateways, consulting firms, media agencies, sports leagues, and legal advisory firms.

IFSG renamed as FIFS before the launch of Game Plan 2020

The fantasy sports industry has boomed over the past few years. Sports in India is undergoing rapid change, and given India’s massive fan base and economic muscle, the future holds enormous potential for sports-related activities. Realising the prospect of the market Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) was India’s first and only Fantasy Sports self-regulatory industry body was established in 2017 to protect consumer interest and create standardised best practices in the Fantasy Sports industry. Over time the development and market have peaked and recently IFSG has renamed it as Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) before the launch of Game Plan 2020 scheduled on 5 March.

The main purpose of FIFS is to self-regulate the sports gaming industry comprising of all online sports-based Games of Skill (which may include e-sports, fantasy sports and casual sports games). FIFS will also continue to focus its attention on the growth of the fantasy sports industry that is proven to increase real-life sports consumption. Not only that FIFS is now eager to pay attention only towards the later, but with the federation also believing that fantasy has a huge market in India currently.

Commenting on this development, FIFS Chairman John Loffhagen said, “In the last two years, we have seen exponential growth in the Fantasy Sports industry. From five million users and 25 operators in 2017, the fantasy sports industry has now grown to 140+ operators with 80 million+ users. This rapid growth is a testament to the potential of fantasy sports in India. The name change from IFSG to FIFS is a result of our recognition of this disruptive and emerging sector and its need for self-regulation to sustain growth. We look forward to working with the operators and stakeholders in creating and maintaining high industry standards.”

FIFS has successfully created guidelines and regulation for establishing and maintaining high industry standards for fantasy sports while also creating awareness about the sector & its potential by:

Launching the fantasy sports industry’s first-ever Charter in 2019
FIFS has successfully conducted two seasons of its flagship event – GamePlan, India’s only Fantasy Sports conference
In 2018, the body launched ‘Stars of Tomorrow’, an athlete support program, in collaboration with Dream11 Foundation and GoSports Foundation
Launched reports on legality, landscape, growth potential and impact of fantasy sports on sports in India

FIFS currently has 33 members, one Ombudsman Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri ( Retd.), and four strategic advisors include Professor Ratnakar Shetty (former BCCI chief administrative officer), Amrit Mathur (former secretary sports authority of India), Dilip Dixit (former additional commissioner of sales Tax) and AN Roy (retired director general police).

Game Plan is an annual conference organised by Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) aiming to provide a common platform to stakeholders across multiple related industries in order to support & strengthen the rapidly growing industry of Fantasy Sports. The platform provides with an excellent opportunity to have dialogues with Industry pioneers and stalwarts. The first edition was launched in 2018 and the variety of participants and range of discussions have excelled. This year adding to the series the Game Plan conference will have representatives from various ministries and government departments to address various crucial policy level contributions. With chief guest as Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant this year’s speakers are lined as Dream11 CEO and co-founder Harsh Jain, AWS WorldWide technical leader gaming Nari Gopala, FIFS strategic advisor Amrit Mathur, Digital Native Business head Navdeep Manaktala, Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra, FanCode cofounder Prasana Krishnan, KPMG partner Girish Menon.

IFSG:Fantasy sports players watch more sports compared to non-fantasy sports players

The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), India’s first and only self-regulatory industry body for the sports gaming sector, released a study on ‘Fantasy Sports: Measuring its impact on actual sports consumption’

In a custom study commissioned to Nielsen by IFSG, 1169 respondents were covered from cities such as – Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Out of the total sample size of 1169, 566 respondents were Fantasy sports Players and 603 respondents were Non-Fantasy Sports Players. It was also found that 37 per cent of Fantasy sports Players consume more than six to eight hours of real-life sports content per week to stay abreast with knowledge on players and match conditions turning passive sports viewers into active participants of a match.

This is the first study that attempts to understand the relationship between playing Fantasy sports and consumption of real-life/actual sports. Owing to the convergence of sports and technology, the Indian sports fans are enjoying a truly immersive and engaging viewing experience. With the advent of affordable smartphones and high-speed internet access, there has never been a better time to be a sports fan in India.

Commenting on the findings of the Custom Nielsen study commissioned by IFSG, Anwar Shirpurwala, CEO, IFSG said, “India is a sports loving nation. Alongside cricket which remains our most watched sport, we are witnessing increased viewership of sports like Kabaddi and Hockey as well as the advent shorter format sports leagues like IPL, Indian Super League (ISL), Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). The fantasy sports platforms are enabling casual fans to engage with the sports they love becoming core sports fans. The growth of the Online Fantasy Sports Gaming platforms is resulting in a growth in the viewership of various formats of sports. The findings validate the strong potential of Fantasy Sports in contributing to the growth of sports ecosystem of India.”

Key Highlights from the IFSG study are:

● Kabaddi is followed more by fantasy sports players as compared to non-players. Out of 566 respondents from metro area who are Fantasy sports players: 37 per cent players followed Kabaddi whereas out of 603 respondents, 31 per cent non-players followed kabaddi sports

● Players mainly follow Cricket on TV & Online: Out of 566 respondents from metro area who are Fantasy sports players, 80per cent players follow cricket on TV at home, 73 per cent players follows on the internet (Apps), and 57 per cent players follows on the internet (Online). Followers prefer new age mediums like apps and websites to follow their favourite sport

● Fantasy Sports Players like following scoreboard of matches online more than non-users. Out of 566 respondents from metro area who are Fantasy sports players-

78 per cent of respondents follow the match while it is ongoing by following an online scoreboard or using online apps
66 per cent follow cricket players & team news online so that they understand which players are performing well
66 per cent discuss with friends about the matches/ tournaments
61 per cent eagerly await the coin toss before the match starts

Out of 566 respondents from the metro area who are Fantasy sports players and 603 respondents who are non-fantasy sports players-

37 per cent players spend more than 6-8 hours on TV/Online VS 8per cent of non-players
32 per cent of players spend more than 3 hrs watching a sports match VS 14 per cent of non-players
80 per cent users agree with browsing information about sports, matches improve their strategy
62 per cent of respondents watch different types of leagues, even when their team/country is not playing

IFSG appoints Justice A.K. Sikri as ombudsman to strengthen leadership team

The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), India’s first and only self-regulatory industry body for the Online Fantasy Sports Gaming sector today announced the appointment of Justice A K Sikri as its ombudsman and ethics officer. Arjan Kumar Sikri is an eminent jurist, a former judge of the Supreme Court of India and was recently appointed as a judge in the Singapore International Commercial Court.

Joining IFSG as the industry body’s first ombudsman, Justice A K Sikri will be responsible for investigating queries/complaints raised by the users of the Online Fantasy Sports Gaming platforms. In this role, he will provide strategic council, resolve disputes brought forward regarding binding rules or financial discrepancies as well as steer hearings and make announcements for smooth operation and ease of functioning.

In his illustrious legal career spanning over 4 decades, Justice Sikri has held several eminent positions. He retired as a senior-most judge of the Supreme Court of India on 6th March 2019. He has also served as the Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Acting Justice of the High Court of Delhi.

The appointment of Justice Sikri comes after 3 months of onboarding Anwar Shirpurwala as the CEO of IFSG. Over the last 2 decades, Anwar has worked in diverse industries and has vast experience in sales and marketing, government affairs and public policy. As the CEO of IFSG, Anwar will drive IFSG’s strategy and operations for the emerging sector of the entire sports gaming industry. He will work closely with government stakeholders and work towards creating standardised best practices for the sports gaming industry. Prior to IFSG, Anwar was the CEO of MAIT for 6+ years, contributing immensely to the growth & development of the Association and creating a vibrant ICT manufacturing industry.

Commenting on the new appointments, IFSG president Harsh Jain, said, “Justice A K Sikri’s association with IFSG is an important development for the industry body. The sports gaming industry is growing at an exponential pace and so is the need to ensure that all operators adopt best-in-class ethical business practices. With Anwar as the CEO of IFSG and Justice Sikri as the ombudsman, IFSG will be able to frame robust industry benchmarks with strong governance protecting our industry’s 8 crore users and 32 operator’s interests.”

Commenting on his new role IFSG CEO Anwar Shirpurwala said, “I am delighted to be part of IFSG and look forward to contributing to India’s emerging online sports gaming industry. With growing digital infrastructure, expanding smartphone penetration and increasing integration of technology with sports, online sports gaming has seen immense adoption by avid sports fans. The last year has seen an increasing number of operators entering the industry to provide sports fans with immersive experiences. While this presents an immense opportunity, it is critical to establish best practices to grow and scale the industry responsibly.”

Commenting on his new role, IFSG ombudsman Justice A K Sikri, said, “I am proud to be entrusted with the role of ombudsman for IFSG. The sports gaming industry provides an untapped opportunity for sports lovers to showcase their sports knowledge and come closer to their favourite sport. As the industry prepares for the next wave of sports enthusiasts, as a self-regulatory industry body it is important to protect and educate operators & users about the industry and its best practices.”

IFSG already has Ratnakar Shetty, Amrit Mathur and Dilip Dixit as its advisors, and John Loffhagen, an eminent legal counsel, serves as the Chairman of the body. Currently, IFSG has 32 members that are working together to create standardised best practices and drive self-regulation. The sector has already witnessed the emergence of India’s 1st Gaming Unicorn (Dream11) and has the potential to reach over 10 crore users by 2020.

The online gaming industry to touch Rs 11,900 crore by 2023: KPMG

The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), the self-regulatory industry body for the sports gaming sector, and KPMG India launched a report on ‘The Evolving Landscape of Sports Gaming in India’ at its second flagship event – Game Plan 2019. The report provides an overview of the online gaming industry with a focus on fantasy sports and esports.

Highlights the findings of a survey conducted by KPMG on fantasy sports users to understand their preferences and playing patterns;

Aims to create awareness about the growth drivers of the fantasy sports market in India and the stark differences between fantasy sports, esports and sports betting;

72 per cent of respondents, the primary motivation for playing fantasy sports are fun and excitement. Further, 69 per cent of respondents say that there are no overlaps between fantasy sports and sports betting and amongst these, 81 per cent say that playing fantasy sports requires profound skill and knowledge

Based on the overall theme of the economy of sports gaming, the GamePlan 2019 event hosted three separate panel discussions: Future of Online Sports Entertainment in India, Growth of Sports Gaming Ecosystem and Fuelling Sports Fan Engagement.

Panellists included the likes of Facebook director global marketing solutions Melinda Petrunoff; Google country director sales Vikas Agnihotri ; AWS head business development Navdeep Manaktala,; Hotstar EVP and head product Varun Narang; Pro Kabaddi League president new strategy Ipsita Dasgupta,; FIH global head and sales Ricky Thussu; KPMG partner Girish Menon,; Dream11 founder and CEO Harsh Jain; Wavemaker CEO SEA Karthik Sharma, Sportz Interactive CEO Arvind Iyengar, FanFight founder and CEO Akhil Suhag, Fantain and sports co-founder CPO Arvind Ramachandran, industry experts like Amrit Mathur, Gaurav Kapoor and Joy Bhattacharjya, PVL.

Commenting on the occasion IFSG president John Loffhagen, said, “With the rapidly growing digital infrastructure and emergence of new sports leagues, the Indian online sports gaming industry is witnessing a boom which shows no sign of slowing down. Exponential growth provides users with easy access to a vast variety of sports gaming apps, formats and genres. This could lead to potential confusion and misjudgement among players in choosing the right platform to engage with their favourite sport. As India’s only self- regulated industry body for sports gaming, we are dedicated to creating awareness about fantasy sports, encouraging operators to adopt ethical and best business practices and allowing sports fans to enjoy their favourite sports in a fun, exciting and safe manner.”

KPMG in India partner and head – media and entertainment Girish Menon said, “Online gaming in India is seeing increased traction due to the growth of digital infrastructure, with fantasy sports emerging as an important segment in this space. With the number of fantasy sports operators growing rapidly and the number of users on fantasy sports platforms expected to cross 100 million by 2020, this segment has the potential to spawn a whole ecosystem around it and could help deepen user engagement with their favourite sports.”

Key highlights from the KPMG Report:

74 per cent of users play fantasy sports one to three times a week, with the majority playing once a week
Around 20 per cent of the respondents reported playing more than five times a week which indicates the growing traction of the genre in the country
Across all age and income groups, fun and excitement is the primary motivator for playing fantasy sports
For around 50 per cent of the respondents, the ability to manage teams virtually, remain connected with the sport and utilisation of sports knowledge were other important motivators for engagement.
The opportunity to win money was seen as one of the motivators for around 30 per cent of respondents, however, this was only the 5th most important factor for engagement
54 per cent of users play fantasy sports for free
46 per cent of the respondents have played paid contests at least once in the last 12 months
Important to note that only 25-30 per cent of the spends on fantasy sports platforms come from the users’ pocket. 70-75 per cent of the spends are re-investments coming from previous winnings, cash bonus or periodical promotional offers given by these platforms to their users
Majority of users from the top seven to eight cities of the country were found to be playing less frequently than some of the smaller cities in the country. Nearly 85 per cent of the respondents from the major cities play fantasy sports one to three times a week as compared to nearly 70 per cent of respondents from smaller cities who play more than four times a week on such platforms
71 per cent of the respondents played fantasy cricket followed by 54 per cent playing football. The non-cricket sports leagues in India are also witnessing increasing traction.
69 per cent of the respondents say that there are no overlaps between fantasy sports & sports betting. 81 per cent of these respondents believe that there is a significant amount of skill and knowledge that goes into the selection of their fantasy sports teams. Fairness, legality and safe & secure nature of transactions are other aspects that draw users to play on fantasy sports platforms.
Nearly 55 per cent of the respondents had an incorrect understanding of esports, associating it exclusively with sports based games. A further 22 per cent of respondents were completely unaware of what esports constitutes.

A survey was further conducted by KPMG taking into account 336 consumers who have played fantasy sports in the last 12 months. KPMG further expressed that the rapid growth in digital infrastructure has led to the growth of online gaming in the country, with the revenue is expected to touch Rs 11,900 crore by financial year 23. The online gaming industry that was pegged at Rs 2,000 crore in financial year 14 grew 2x to reach Rs 4,400 crore in financial year18. The revenue expected to clip at 22 per cent CAGR from 2018 to 2023 to touch Rs 11,900 crore, according to KPMG.

#FeatureFriday: Fantasy sports: Skill or luck?

Gambling, wagering, betting are some of the unspoken words, considered to be illegal as per Indian jurisdiction. In reality, there are many fantasy apps available in India that is 100 per cent legal and authentic. So over a few years, a rush of new fantasy sports apps has transformed the Indian gaming ecosystem vastly. As many live in the perception that ‘fantasy sports is gambling’ where many believe it is the ‘game of skills.’ Therefore we are taking an opportunity to analyse whether it is actually gaming or something else!

Fantasy cricket is one such genre, where the audience is showing most interest because deep down every Indian (from the age group of 18 to 45 years) is a hardcore cricket fan and thus targeting those audience, developers are leaping with the idea to attract more and more people into the fantasy cricket. Fantasy cricket, it is legal in India, and even BCCI have their own fantasy league called IPL Fantasy League where you can play fantasy cricket. Moreover, as far the developers are concerned fantasy sports are named as the game of skills and it is not related to the betting.

What exactly is fantasy sports?

A fantasy sport (also known less commonly as rotisserie or roto) is a type of online game where participants create imaginary or virtual teams of real players of a professional sport. The team performance is depending on the statistical performance of those players’ in actual games. The better the strategy used by the participants in building up the virtual teams increases the chances for the participants to win.
The performance is converted into points that are compiled and totalled according to a roster selected by each fantasy team’s manager. These point systems can be simple enough to be manually calculated by a “league commissioner” who coordinates and manages the overall league, or points can be compiled and calculated using computers tracking actual results of the professional sport. In fantasy sports, team owners draft, trade and cut (drop) players, analogously to real games.

According to Dream11 co-founder and Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) chairman Harsh Jain, “Over the past decade, fantasy sports has been at the helm of evolving the Indian sports fans’ experience by giving them the perfect platform to showcase their sports knowledge and skill. 800 million Indian passive sports viewers now have the opportunity to become active participants in every single match. Fantasy Sports is the start of a revolution that will change the face of the sports industry forever. And this is only the beginning.”

Therefore a fantasy sports tournament requires skill to create a team from:

• Understanding the algorithmic status (health, fitness) of the player to be part of a dream team
• Analysing the past scorecard to select the team members
• By doing permutation and combination how the player’s performance will be
• Investigating how each player of the team will perform in the match
• Creating a team of proportionate players. For, an example in a cricket match, not every player are bowler some are a batsman, all-rounder, fast bowler, wicketkeeper and spinner

Are fantasy sports somehow related to gambling?
The evolved sports fan, with an adventurous temperament and a natural comfort with technology, has taken no time to adopt and propagate fantasy sports. Each year the popularity of the fantasy sports are leaping sky high. According to IFSG report “the Fantasy Sports has allowed fans to go from being passive viewers to active users – with an opportunity to use their knowledge, skill and understanding to win in online versions of actual offline games.”

The art of creating a dream team can only be possible when a player has specific skill sets. Thus when asked, Playgames24X7 CEO Bhavin Pandiya is fantasy sports a kind of gambling game? (during the launch of new fantasy cricket game My11Circle). He answered “Fantasy Cricket is the game of skill! Where a player requires a certain set of skills to create a team which will help them to win the match. Selecting the team members is what requires certain skill sets, and that is where the strategy of the game lies.” Therefore it sure does not seem like gambling.

From where we are at today, fantasy sports looks to be poised to revolutionise sports consumption, by making the experience more immersive, highly engaging and broadening the fan base well beyond the conventional set. It is indeed changing the relationship fans have had with sports over the years, and evolving India into a bigger and more passionate sporting nation.

Every gaming requires a skill set among players and fantasy sport is no exception. Moreover deeper engagement in fantasy sports is driving the consumers to spur a greater passion for it in India by the developers and the federation. Hence fantasy sports can be considered as a game of skill and not gambling.

Indian Federation of Sports Gaming appoints John Loffhagen as president

Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) has announced the appointment of John Loffhagen as its president. Loffhagen will drive IFSG’s agenda of creating a thriving ecosystem for sports, gaming users and operators in a number of ways including laying down guidelines for a common set of industry practices, dissemination of know-how to members and assisting with potential arrangements with rights holders for the benefit of members.

An international legal expert, Loffhagen trained and qualified as a lawyer in the city of London where he spent eight years practicing corporate and commercial law. In 1998, he joined IMG in London, becoming the head of legal for EMEA in 2000. John spent his early years at IMG working on acquisitions and joint ventures in several sectors including football and entertainment. His stint with IMG is soon coming to an end, but he retains an ongoing interest and much enthusiasm for business in India with his deep understanding of the industry landscape in the country.

John has played an instrumental role in establishing the IPL T20 cricket and ISL football tournaments. He was actively involved in framing the rules, regulations and the governance structure of these events. He is also associated with a UK law firm, Onside Law as a consultant.

Commenting on his new role, Loffhagen said, “In recent years, India has witnessed an exponential growth in the number of fantasy sports users, making it a popular trend amongst sports fans in the country. An increasing number of operators are now entering the market to provide sports fans with even more immersive experiences. This rising phenomenon presents immense opportunities for investors, upcoming operators, and key policymakers to work together towards building this rapidly-growing industry. I am delighted to be a part of IFSG and I look forward to strengthening the buzzing fantasy sports ecosystem in the country.”

Currently, IFSG has 11 members that are working together to create standardised best practices and drive self-regulation. Some of the members include Baadshah Gaming, Vinfotech, Fantain, etc. StarPick, who recently launched its India operations during the T20 season, is the latest to come on board.

Commenting on John’s appointment, IFSG chairman Harsh Jain said, “John’s association with IFSG is an important development for the industry at large because his rich experience will aid IFSG as a Self Regulatory Organisation to frame industry benchmarks with strong governance. Today, Indian sports fans enjoy a truly immersive and engaging viewing experience with fantasy sports, thanks to the convergence of sports and technology. It is at this nascent stage that having a standardised framework for operations and best practices in the industry becomes imperative. Under John’s guidance, IFSG will liaise with key industry stakeholders to create a common set of practices and drive self-regulation, thereby protecting the user and operator interests.”

IFSG unveils India’s first ever report on legality of fantasy sports; declares it as a ‘game of skill’

The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), India’s first industry body formed for protecting consumer interests through the self-regulation of the sports gaming industry, has unveiled India’s first ever report on the ‘Legality of Fantasy Sports in India’.

An initiative of the Sports Law and Policy Centre, the legal report brings contributions from experts in sports and gaming laws from India’s leading law firms like Nishith Desai Associates, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Khaitan & Co. and LawNK. This report delves into the skill element of fantasy sports games, need for self-regulation by online sports gaming companies, the use of third-party intellectual property in fantasy sports games and the recent developments in the Supreme Court of India relating to the determination of Dream11’s fantasy sports format as a game of predominant skill.

On unveiling the report, IFSG chairman and Dream11 co-founder and CEO Harsh Jain said, “We welcome the court’s judgement which legitimises our format of online fantasy sports gaming in India as a ‘game of skill’. As we continue to grow exponentially, we believe that self-regulation is the way ahead for the online gaming industry. Committed to this, IFSG aims to collaborate with all stakeholders to protect the interests of Indian users by implementing best practices for responsible gaming throughout the industry.”

On the launch of the legal report, LawNK principal lawyer and SLPC researcher Nandan Kamath said, “The recent developments in the courts are an encouraging sign for the fantasy sports ecosystem in India as it shows the willingness of Indian courts to carefully and favourably evaluate game formats on criteria of predominance of skill. The SLPC report is a collaborative effort by leading law practitioners who aim to document the state of the law relating to online fantasy sports gaming and lend clarity to the industry. We hope this empowers the entrepreneurial spirit and benefits and protects the interests of the wide variety of stakeholders involved with fantasy sports games, including operators, fans, players and governing bodies.”

The fantasy sports ecosystem has been growing exponentially in India over the last few years. From 2 million users in 2016, the base has grown to over 20 million fantasy sports users in 2018, with estimated projections of over 100 million Indian sports fans playing fantasy sports by 2020. India now has 56 fantasy sports operators, with 2017 alone seeing 30 new entities entering this exciting space. Popular sporting tournaments such as the IPL, NBA, ISL, PKL and others are increasingly relying on fantasy sports as their primary tool for fan engagement.

IFSG launches India’s annual sports gaming conference ‘GamePlan’

The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), India’s first industry body formed for protecting consumer interests through the self-regulation of the Sports Gaming industry, launched its flagship event ‘GamePlan’ in Mumbai today. The event brought together various stakeholders from the online sports gaming fraternity in India. Luminaries who attended the annual conference discussed and deliberated upon various aspects of the online sports gaming industry, primarily focusing on the growth potential of fantasy sports in India.

It was a momentous occasion for the entire industry as the first-ever report on The Laws Relating to Fantasy Sports Games in India was launched by IFSG chairman and Dream11 CEO and co-founder Harsh Jain, LawNK principal lawyer and Sports Law & Policy Centre (SLPC) researcher Nandan Kamath, and former Meghalaya chief secretary and former NGT member Ranjan Chaterjee. This report delves into the skill element of fantasy sports games, need for self-regulation by online sports gaming companies, the use of third-party intellectual property in fantasy sports games and the recent developments in the Supreme Court of India relating to the determination of Dream11’s fantasy sports format as a game of predominant skill.

GamePlan 2018 had three panel discussions that addressed key aspects of fantasy sports, including its investment potential in India, the legal landscape, and why some of the biggest sports leagues rely on fantasy sports as a tool for fan engagement. The discussions featured eminent panelists – Aarti Dabas (ICC), Arun Prabhu (Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas), Ganesh Prasad (Khaitan & Co), Gowree Gokhale (Nishith Desai Associates), Jamie Stewart (CPL), Nandan Kamath (LawNK), Renuka Ramnath (Multiples Equity), Srinivvasan Gopalkrishnan (ISL), Sumit Sinha (Multiples Equity), Sundar Raman (RIL Sports), Vani Kola (Kalaari Capital) and Yannick Colaco (NBA).

Commenting on GamePlan 2018, IFSG chairman and Dream11 co-founder and CEO Harsh Jain said, “We are delighted to host the inaugural edition of GamePlan, India’s annual sports gaming conference aimed at bringing together eminent leaders to help shape the industry on collaborative platform. These are exciting times with an increasing number of sports leagues, fantasy sports operators and investors aligning to offer the Indian sports fans an immersive and engaging sports experience.”

On the launch of the legal report, LawNK principal lawyer and SLPC researcher Nandan Kamath said, “The recent developments in the courts are an encouraging sign for the fantasy sports ecosystem in India as it shows the willingness of courts to carefully and favourably evaluate game formats on criteria of predominance of skill. The SLPC report is a collaborative effort by leading law practitioners, which aims to document the state of the law relating to online fantasy sports gaming and aims to lend clarity to the industry. We hope this empowers the entrepreneurial spirit and benefits and protects the interests of the wide variety of stakeholders involved with fantasy sports games, including operators, fans, players and governing bodies.”

The fantasy sports ecosystem has been growing exponentially in India over the last few years. From 20 lakh users in 2016, the base has grown to over 2 crore fantasy sports users in 2018 with estimated projections of over 10 crore Indian sports fans playing fantasy sports by 2020. India now has 56 fantasy sports operators, with 2017 alone seeing 30 new entities entering this exciting space. Popular sporting tournaments such as the IPL, NBA, ISL, PKL and others are increasingly relying on fantasy sports as their primary tool for fan engagement.

IFSG aims to work closely with key stakeholders to create a conducive environment and ensure the growth of sports gaming in India by being the unified voice of the industry.