According to FSGA, Fantasy sports players at an all-time high

Research says approximately 59 million people played fantasy sports in 2018 in the United States and Canada.

Fantasy sports is an online game where participants assemble virtual teams of real players and draft, trade and drop players based on their real life stats. Fantasy sports is a billion-dollar industry that generated over $7 billion in 2018. Fantasy has taken over the sports viewing experience and increased sports gambling to a level it has never seen.

Kevin Ota is director of communications at ESPN and said he views fantasy sports as another opportunity for ESPN to serve fans and enhance their enthusiasm for the sports they follow.

“It gives you more elements to care about, besides only your favourite teams and players,” said Ota. “Researching players and teams, as well as the fantasy teams in your league, increases your knowledge of the game in terms of on-the-field match ups and strategies.”

Ota says playing fantasy adds a different and deeper layer for following a sport. ESPN has a yearly fantasy football marathon which features a 28-hour uninterrupted marathon strictly dedicated to fantasy football.

“We have a lot of shows across our networks and digital platforms focused on fantasy football, and the Marathon brings it all together in a way that celebrates the beginning of the season and helps fans get ready for their drafts,” said Ota. “It’s a great way to encourage people to join a league and play ESPN fantasy football, but it’s really just about enjoying fantasy football and having fun.”

The Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association is the only organization nationally that represents fantasy sports and gaming companies and is the voice for over 60 million fantasy sports players. Paul Charchian is president of the FSGA, and said he believes fantasy sports turns regular fans into super fans.

“Fantasy Sports takes everything you like about being a sports fan and turns it up to 11,” said Charchian. “If you live in Buffalo and are probably a Bills fan, why would you care about Tampa against Dallas? Unless you’re a fantasy player you will have a routing interest in that game when you have players on your team or your opponent’s team.”

Charchian said he believes fantasy sports has become a way for so many people to keep in touch with people they would not otherwise keep in touch with.

“There’s so many people that say, ‘I’ve only seen this guy at my draft in August once a year’ and it’s just how people stay in touch and communicate with friends,” said Charchian.

For players looking for a way to collect and protect fantasy league dues, Charchian is the founder of LeagueSafe which makes the payout process easy for fantasy players.

“It’s the world’s only consumer protection service for fantasy sports,” said Charchian. “It fulfills a real need for people that want to play fantasy sports and want to be able to play with people they don’t know and don’t want their funds to be at risk.”

The FSGA will be hosting its winter conference in Las Vegas on Jan. 14-15, 2020. If you would like to become a member of the FSGA or attend this conference, go to www.thefsga.org or call 608-310-7540.