Fantasy sports are extremely popular among fans of various sports. They are games where you choose virtual teams from pools of real-life athletes and compete against other players, usually with a points system. Many popular sports leagues promote fantasy versions of themselves and use them as a tool to drive fan engagement and increase viewership.
The aim of the game itself is to score as many points as possible by predicting which athletes will perform better on specific game days, over a few weeks, months, or the entire season. The goal is (seemingly) simple; predict the outcomes, and you win.
Gambling is also very popular amongst sports fans. Betting on games provides an added thrill for many people, and some even make a career out of gambling in sports. The goal is (seemingly) simple, predict the outcomes, and you win.
On the surface, these two independent activities share a common goal. Predict and win. But do fantasy sports really facilitate a feeling similar to gambling? Can it lead to people picking up sports betting? We conducted a survey asking these questions and more. Here’s what the data says:
THE ILLUSION
Sports fans, like most people, enjoy the thrill of turning uncertainty into profit. Some, however, do not want to risk their money. They need a compromise; a way to experience the thrill of the bet without any financial repercussions. For these people, fantasy sports are the solution.
Of the people we surveyed who play fantasy sports but do not bet on games, 95.2% of them stated that fantasy sports outcomes give them a rush when they go their way. They love the thrill, the reward even more so, but they do not want to lose money in the process. 52.4% of the same category of people agreed to using fantasy sports as a safer alternative to sports betting. 38.1% of them disagreed with this sentiment, and the remaining 9.5% were unsure.
This means that over half of them believe fantasy sports can be a safe outlet for managing betting urges, one where there is no financial risk involved. But does that truly mean they are not gambling?
“Gambling is not about the money; It is about the thrill of the risk” – Jeanette Winterson, The Passion.
The answer to this question lies in the data from those who have both experiences.
CAPTURING THE FEELING?
Are fantasy sports players truly not gambling? Do they really simulate the feeling sports betting provides?
According to the FSGA, these are completely different activities, with fantasy sports being games based on pure skill. They believe there are too many fixed variables involved in playing fantasy to compare it to leaving the outcomes of games to chance, and that since the legal definitions of both activities are distinctly separate from each other, they cannot be the same. But what do the people think?
“I use skill to grab a hold of luck” – Shinji Hakari, Jujutsu Kaisen
Habi, 27, an experienced Fantasy Premier League player, believes that skill is paramount, but luck is also required. “I think you need to be aware of so many things to be a successful FPL manager, and with experience, you start to see patterns that lead to more success. I’m not sure that exists with betting.” In terms of the feelings both activities provide, he says, “It depends on the reason you play fantasy sports, but I don’t think anyone gambles for fun. I do think the highs are similar, though, because the feeling of having a perfect game week when others have a terrible one is second to none.”
Kennedy, 27, thinks both activities mirror each other. “I think they are quite similar in the sense that the wait time for results produces the same tension, and the outcomes (whether good or bad) also produce the same reactions.”
James, 27, who engages in both fantasy sports and sports betting, believes that the two share notable similarities. “There is always a prize, be it bragging rights, or friends pooling money together to create a reward for the best fantasy player. In some cases, there is always a prize to be won. Your goal is to win, and another similarity is the uncertainty that comes with both. We can’t influence the outcome, so we’re left at the mercy of the teams/players to determine if we win or not, which can be nerve-wracking and filled with various emotions.”
Also, among those surveyed who play fantasy sports and bet on game outcomes, 47.8% report that a good/bad return on their Fantasy team for the week feels similar to winning/losing a bet. The remaining 52.2% disagreed, meaning over half of them do not equate a fantasy “win” to a betting one. Similar, but not the same.
This raises the question: Can fantasy sports truly serve as a replacement for sports betting? A similar group of people disagree, with a majority, 44.9% of them, claiming that betting is more enjoyable than playing fantasy sports. 29% of them indicated that they preferred playing fantasy sports, while the remaining 26.1% noted that they experienced a similar level of enjoyment from both activities.
So, if the majority sentiment amongst those who engage in both activities is that betting is more enjoyable, and that a good fantasy week, while similar, does not necessarily feel the same as winning a bet, does that mean that fantasy players who do not bet could transition to sports betting in search of a more enjoyable high?
IS THERE A GATEWAY FROM FANTASY SPORTS INTO SPORTS BETTING?
The data disagrees. Of those we surveyed who started sports betting after playing fantasy sports, 60% of them were convinced that their participation in fantasy sports had no influence on their decision to start gambling on sports. 22.9% of them were unsure, and 17.1% attributed their transition into sports betting to playing fantasy.
Also, amongst those who play fantasy sports but do not bet on games, 66.7% of them noted that the rush they get from a good fantasy game week has never made them consider trying sports betting instead. When asked if they thought they’d pick up sports betting shortly, there were no definitive positive responses, with 71.4% disagreeing and 28.6% of them unsure.
This leads us to believe that although there are some similarities in emotions and feelings both activities evoke, fantasy sports do not necessarily serve as a pipeline into sports betting for most people.
Fantasy is fun because it’s fantasy, and not reality.