Fantasy Goals – Game of Skill and not Game of Luck
It is a long debate about whether fantasy sports is gambling or a game of skills. However, both sides have their arguments and we can never say that fantasy sport is gambling. However, we can also say that fantasy sport is like a form of game involving a lot of skills. The impact mostly goes like a game of skills as gambling is something depending on luck and not on skills. While fantasy sports are a game to be played tactfully and with specific skills. Fantasy sports is said to be one of the most popular sectors having over 100 million users despite a ban in some states in India. However, it forms a debate about whether it is “a game of chance” or “a game of skills”. As it involves a small fee or money can never give it a designation of gambling. Gambling is something where people live everything to God while in fantasy play it is all to the user to build their teams by analysing past statistics and winning points. Business personnel believe that fantasy sports can arise as a sunshine industry in future.
A report pointed out that around 20% of active fantasy sports users engage in the pay-to-play format while the average ticket price remains low as Rs 35. A report from Dream 11 tells that 80% of users never play with money. Thus, it makes that unlike gambling fantasy sports is not fully related to money. The low ticket prices also make the users less subject to harm, unlike gambling where even millions are bet. Fantasy sports are also fully dependent on real-time sports, unlike other gambling games. The federal law classifies fantasy sports as a game of skill rather than actual gambling. Fantasy sport also generates love for sports and creates more viewers and thus a love for the game. Playing fantasy sports needs a lot of critical thinking about whether conditions and players overall performance. If a game requires more skill-based then it can surely be not termed as gambling. Some may say that performance of players varies from one match to other however, it remains constant over multiple rounds.
Fantasy sport can be purely termed as “skill game” as to win the game a person has to use his/her analytical mind and prediction skills. User has to make their strategy to choose the players which can make them win points and prizes in the real world. So these are only skills of an individual which helps to track down the team members performance like average scores, injury etc. Studies also show in favour of “skill game”. A MIT study, where researchers have submitted their studies says that fantasy sports reward “skills” rather “luck”. They have concluded after analysing thousands of win/ loss records of fantasy players of several seasons. The Indian legality of Fantasy Sports states it as a skill-based game that doesn’t violate The Public Gambling Act of 1867. Like gambling games, fantasy sport does not depend on betting and luck. For playing fantasy sports users need to have a good knowledge of the sports and make their decisions tactfully. Betting money solely based on luck can only be termed as gambling and this doesn’t go with fantasy sport.
Those who are in fantasy sports wholly believe that a lot of skill is involved. If one were to pick the team randomly then they would end with zero fantasy points. If the proper application of a particular knowledge base can be applied to weight the outcome in favour of the player, it is a game of skill. However, if the outcome is purely random, then the outcome is pure gambling. Fantasy sports though involve a certain amount of luck, like with all things. However, it requires a great deal of skill too. It requires a lot of research, experience and decision-making to be successful at fantasy sports. However, fantasy sports are banned in some Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana due to involvement of financial transactions. It is not like roulette where there is little skill involved and revolves mostly on luck. Thus fantasy sport is a game of skill and not a game of chance.