The same document also highlights that the proximity of the two types of businesses is a reality that moves global markets such as the United Kingdom, where the main focus of attraction is the Premier League, the main national championship in the world. In India – one of the world's main markets for fantasy games – video game lovers have surrendered to virtual cricket, a traditional sport in the country.
In Brazil, football remains the main driving force, especially with fantasy games like Rei do Pitaco and Cartola FC. Side by side with the main national passion, there is volleyball, with the 'Cravada', a modality launched by the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation, to boost the Men's and Women's Volleyball League. A scenario that reflects the versatility of the fantasy sport market, as explained by ABFS president Rafael Marcondes.
“We know that Brazil still pays great attention to football. But Brazilians love sports and we have traditions in other sports, such as volleyball, which has been gaining fans in the digital environment with the recently created 'Cravada', and basketball, for example. And, like the sports audience, the audience that plays games has different age groups, consolidating this market as diverse and inclusive,” said the president of the Brazilian Association of Fantasy Sports.
Football is a worldwide passion in the gaming market
Exceeding more than US$ 1.05 billion, the European fantasy sports market accounted for more than 16% of the segment's global revenue and football conquers 78% of fantasy players on the continent, where the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany lead the list of supporters, according to the English newspaper Prague Post. The data, included in the Insper study, show that the revenues of the main European football leagues register astronomical figures. The Premier League, for example, moved 7.1 billion euros in the 2022/2023 season. The Bundesliga (German championship) generated 3.6 billion euros in revenue. La Liga Española generated 3.7 billion euros and the Italian one, 2.4 billion euros.
The numbers listed in the survey speak of real revenues and show how this scenario also impacts the fantasy sports market. In 2021, the Fantasy Premier League received more than 9 million participants, coming from 175 countries, according to the Spanish and English football leagues themselves.
“Because it has a regulated sector with legal predictability, the European market can, for example, offer different championships within fantasy, such as regional championships of small countries in Europe, in addition to guaranteeing the payment of tournaments, even when these do not reach the number enough participants. An extra attraction for consumers,” said Marcondes.
In India, which in July 2021 approved its legal framework, the fantasy sports market jumped from US$ 4.5 billion in 2021 to a projection of US$ 21.45 billion by 2025, according to information from Delloite consultancy. Cricket, football, kabaddi and hockey together account for over 98% of total FS revenue.
Cricket alone accounts for 85% of Indian fantasy sports revenue, which now averages 130 million users. The same 85% also represents the percentage of real sports viewers for the games industry. The calculation of the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) is that 60% of users watch sports more when they are in gaming experiences.
In the Brazilian market, according to Industry Insights, there is a supremacy of Fantasy Sports linked to football, which captures 95% of the market, followed by basketball (52%), volleyball (48%) and American football (42%).
“What we see, based on experience around the world, is that the two business models have room for growth in revenue and number of users, and the union and interaction between them, through a regulated market, with legal certainty and predictability – premises contained in the Legal Framework for Gaming – opens up new possibilities for generating employment and income in Brazil,” concluded ABFS president.
Source: GMB
