It’s no secret that there is a growing demand for fantasy sports apps. These apps bring real-world and virtual players together through a digital platform but are not meant to connect regular people with celebrity athletes through video calls.
Instead, they operate as online betting platforms that offer interactive games for users to participate in sports leagues. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, fantasy sports apps have become a popular attraction for sports enthusiasts who want a more immersive online experience while streaming sports.
The fantasy sports industry has seen a surge in popularity, with millions worldwide actively using these apps. Recent trends suggest that the industry will continue to grow, so there is an opportunity to capitalise on this.
This article will provide a detailed guide if you want to learn more about developing a fantasy sports app.
What are Fantasy Sports?
Fantasy sports is an online game where participants act as owners of virtual teams that compete against one another based on the statistical performance of real-life professional athletes in actual sporting events.
Participants typically draft a team of real-life athletes and then compete against other participants in a league or tournament format. The participants earn points based on the statistical performance of their virtual team’s athletes in real-life games, such as points scored, yards gained, or goals scored.
The virtual teams are usually composed of players from different teams and are not limited to any geographical location. Participants can create their leagues, invite friends, and compete for prizes. Some fantasy sports leagues require participants to pay an entry fee, and the prizes can range from small amounts of money to large payouts.
Fantasy sports can be played for many sports, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, and even eSports. Fantasy sports offer an engaging and interactive way for fans to follow and engage with their favorite sports and teams and compete against friends and other fans.
Fantasy Sports Industry Size and Statistics
The fantasy sports industry is experiencing significant growth, supported by solid evidence. The global market for fantasy sports is currently growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.24%, and the industry’s overall size has grown from $25.44 billion in 2022 to $28.96 billion.
Industry experts predict the fantasy sports market will grow and be worth $40.88 billion by 2027. The primary drivers of this growth are the increasing youth population and rising internet consumption, as evidenced by statistics from the World Youth Report (2020), which projects that the youth population worldwide will surpass 1.3 billion by 2030.
Fantasy sports are expanding their reach through their digital presence, particularly in North America, where the industry is growing at a CAGR of 10.3%. European countries are also seeing an emergence of fantasy sports gaming, while in underdeveloped countries like India, where internet and smartphone consumption is high, fantasy sports apps are gaining popularity.
How Fantasy Sports App Works?
Fantasy sports apps allow users to assemble virtual teams of real players who compete based on the statistical performance of those players in actual games. The workflow of a fantasy app typically includes the following steps:
- Choose the match: Users select a match after login and OTP verification.
- Form a team: Users then form a team according to the game’s requirements, such as a team of 11 players for cricket. Several ways to form a team include Serpentine, Auction-based, and offline drafting.
- Captain: Users select a captain for their team.
- Team division: According to the game’s rules, users create multiple teams, and virtual players can join the team of their choice.
- Team management: Users can modify the team they created at any point during the game.
- Reward distribution: Players receive points based on their performance, and the team with the highest points wins.
Popular Types of Fantasy Sports Apps
After reading the comprehensive explanation about fantasy sports apps, you might have some questions in mind, and one of the most frequently asked ones is about the connection between fantasy sports and actual sports.
As these apps operate on games that rely on predictions and are heavily influenced by the performance of real-life sporting events that don’t occur daily, they are classified into four distinct categories.
- Season-long Fantasy Sports: Users draft a team of real-life players before the start of the season and compete against other users in a league throughout the entire season.
- Daily Fantasy Sports: Users draft a team of real-life players for a single day or week’s worth of games and compete against other users in contests that last only a short period.
- Pick them Fantasy Sports: Users predict the winners of games or players’ performances in specific games rather than drafting a full team for the entire season.
- Prediction markets: Users can buy and sell players’ shares based on their expected performance in real-life games, similar to how stocks are traded in financial markets.
Top Sports Propelling the Fantasy Sports App Domain
Listed here are the primary areas where you can participate in your preferred fantasy sports game using mobile applications. Without any delay, let’s examine them:
1. Cricket
Cricket is one of the primary and most popular games in the fantasy sports app domain. It involves two teams competing against each other, with the team scoring the most runs at the end of the game, declared the winner.
2. Football
Considered the world’s most popular ball game, football is also a widely played fantasy sport. The game is played between two teams on a rectangular field, with players passing, running, and kicking a ball to score goals. Some of the most popular types of fantasy football leagues include:
- Fantasy football PPR (points per reception)
- Draft league
- Draft-only league
- Best ball league
- Public League
- Dynasty league
3. Basketball
Fantasy basketball is also gaining popularity. Similar to the other sports, it involves two teams competing against each other, with players aiming to score points by putting, bouncing, or dropping a ball into a basket.
4. Hockey
Hockey is another team-based fantasy sport where players may need to invite multiple people to join their team, depending on the game format.
5. Golf
Fantasy golf is a peaceful game played on a wide green lawn, where players use different clubs to hit balls towards a hole. The ultimate goal is to get the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible.
6. Baseball
Similar to cricket, baseball involves two teams, one pitching and the other batting. The teams try to score by touching four bases on the field.
7. Motorsports
Motorsports, also known as motor racing, is a popular fantasy sports category involving players competing for individual wins.
8. Rugby
Rugby Union is another ball game played by two teams, where players pick up a ball with their hands and try to drop it off at the goal pit to score points for their team.
However, these games’ availability depends on the developed fantasy sports app, and some apps may not feature these games at all. Additionally, some fantasy sports apps may not even be based on real-world sports.
Why Create a Fantasy Sports Mobile App?
Creating a fantasy sports mobile app can provide numerous benefits to sports businesses, including:
- Increased fan engagement: Fantasy sports mobile apps can enhance fan engagement by allowing them to participate actively in games and track their performance in real-time. This engagement can increase sports business brand loyalty, repeat visits, and revenue.
- Additional revenue streams: Fantasy sports mobile apps can create new revenue streams for sports businesses through sponsorships, advertisements, and in-app purchases. The app can also be monetised by charging users entry fees to participate in contests or to unlock premium features.
- Data insights: Fantasy sports mobile apps can gather valuable data on user behaviour, including preferences, interests, and engagement patterns. Sports businesses can leverage this data to develop targeted marketing campaigns, improve fan experiences, and make informed product and service decisions.
- Brand visibility: Fantasy sports mobile apps can increase brand visibility by providing a touchpoint for sports businesses to connect with their fans. This can increase brand recognition and drive more traffic to the sports business.
- Competitive advantage: By creating a fantasy sports mobile app, sports businesses can gain a competitive advantage over their rivals who have not yet ventured into the mobile app space. This advantage can help them attract and retain more customers, increasing revenue and profitability.
Fantasy Sports Monetisation – How Does the Fantasy Sports App Make Money?
Fantasy sports apps have become popular not only among sports enthusiasts but also among business owners. One of the reasons for this is that they offer various monetisation options. Here are some ways fantasy sports apps make money:
- Entry fees: Many fantasy sports apps charge an entry fee from users to participate in various contests or tournaments. These fees are collected upfront and generate revenue for the app owner.
- Advertising: Advertising is another major source of revenue for fantasy sports apps. These apps have a large user base, making them an attractive advertising platform for companies looking to promote their products or services.
- Sponsorship: Fantasy sports apps can also generate revenue through sponsorship deals. For example, a sports brand may sponsor a tournament or contest on the app and pay the owner a certain amount for the partnership.
- Premium features: Some fantasy sports apps offer premium features that are not available in the free version. Users can access these features by paying a subscription fee, generating additional revenue for the app owner.
- Merchandise sales: Fantasy sports apps can also sell merchandise such as team jerseys, hats, and other sports-related items. These sales generate additional revenue for the app owner.
- Data licensing: Fantasy sports apps generate vast data, which can be sold to other businesses for analytics and research purposes. This data can include player statistics, game scores, and user behaviour data.
- Private League Commissions: Private league commissions involve the role of a fantasy sports developer who acts as a league commissioner between players. They are responsible for maintaining control over league regulations, selecting the starting lineup, and ensuring that the winner receives their reward without any disruptions.
- E-commerce integration: One way to generate revenue for your fantasy sports business is through e-commerce integration. If you have a website that sells sports-related items, you can feature it on your app and attract sports fans to make purchases.
- Third-party affiliation: Another potential revenue stream is third-party affiliation. Developers can offer affiliate partners a position on the platform, where each time a user logs in and buys an affiliate product, money can be generated for the developer’s account.
Key Features of Fantasy Sports Mobile App
A fantasy premier league app is designed to provide users with a unique and engaging experience by incorporating various features that set it apart from other game development software.
These features connect the users and the app environment, make the app stand out, and create a sense of importance for the users.
Some of the essential features that a fantasy sports application should include are:
- Leaderboards: Leaderboards are a feature that allows users to see their ranking among other players in the league. It’s a great way for players to track their progress and compete against other users.
- User profiles: Users can personalize their experience by creating a unique account to store information such as their team, league history, and preferences.
- Player information: Player information is a feature that provides users with detailed information about each player, such as their statistics, performance, and injury status. This helps users make informed decisions when building their fantasy team.
- Create and join league options: Create and join league options allow users to create their league or join an existing one. This gives users the flexibility to play with friends or join public leagues.
- Dashboard for easy navigation: The dashboard is an essential feature that provides easy navigation within the app, making it easy for users to access its different features and functionalities.
- Manage money transfer for in-game purchases: This feature allows users to transfer money within the game to make in-game purchases, such as buying new players or upgrading the team’s performance.
- Real-time activities and updates: This feature gives users real-time updates on the games, players’ performance, and other relevant information. Users can track the games’ progress and adjust their teams accordingly.
- Admin Panel- An admin panel allows an administrator to manage and monitor the app’s content and user activity. It is a back-end interface separate from the app’s user-facing interface.
Fantasy Mobile Apps other Than Sports
There are various fantasy mobile apps available that offer unique experiences outside of the world of sports. Here are a few examples:
- Fantasy eSports apps:
These apps allow users to participate in visual competitions where players from different regions and countries compete on a virtual team based on the statistical performance of real-world athletes or sports players.
- Reality tv gaming apps:
These apps cater to people who enjoy playing unscripted fantasy games, allowing users to bet on live information and make real-time decisions.
- Fantasy politics gaming apps:
Fantasy politics apps allow players to choose a real-life member of their favourite political party, and if the selected member wins, the player wins the game; if not, they lose.
- Fantasy stock market apps:
Fantasy stock market apps are quite popular and offer the excitement of the stock market. However, these apps may not be suitable for novice traders as they carry higher profit potential.
Most Famous Fantasy Sports App in the Market
1. CBS Fantasy Sports
The CBS Sports Fantasy app is a great option for sports lovers, covering various games like baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and more. Users can manage their teams, track their scores, and play leagues on this app. It is available for Android, iOS, iPad, and Apple Watch.
2. FanDuel
FanDuel is a well-known fantasy sports app that offers free and paid contests for users to form a new fantasy team weekly. It also offers sports betting features in countries where it is legal.
3. DraftKings
It is popular for daily fantasy sports, casinos, marketplace, and Reignmakers NFT games. Users can draft a new lineup whenever required, pick a favorite player every week, play in public or private contests, and win weekly or end-of-contest prizes.
4. Yahoo Fantasy Sports
Yahoo Fantasy Sports is one of the top-ranked fantasy sports apps that allows users to manage their team for sports like football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and more. Users can access live updates, alerts, and expert analysis and communicate with their mates using a fantasy messenger.
5. ESPN Fantasy Sports
The ESPN fantasy sports app allows users to play all ESPN games for free and follow live scores, articles, and videos posted by top fantasy sports analysts. Users can also play contests with family and friends or join public leagues.
6. MPL (Mobile Premier League)
MPL is a popular fantasy sports app in India that offers various sports games and quizzes. Users can compete in paid or free contests and win real cash prizes.
7. Dream 11
Dream 11 is another popular fantasy sports app in India that offers cricket, football, basketball, and other games. Users can create teams, participate in contests, and win real cash prizes.
How Will Scrum Digital Help you to Successfully Develop Fantasy Sports App?
Finally, it is important to understand how Scrum Digital can help develop a fantasy sports app successfully. The following is a step-by-step guide to the app development process:
- Market and Competitor Research: Scum Digital conducts thorough research to analyze the statistics of existing fantasy football apps in the market. This will provide insight into the strategies and methods used by competitors and help identify opportunities for differentiating your app.
- UI/UX: The user interface and experience are crucial in attracting users and improving the app experience. This is the stage where the design and layout of the app are finalized. Therefore, Scrum Digital provides aesthetic UI/UX designs to improve user experience.
- Features and Functions: Once the UI/UX is decided, we focus on the features and functions of the app. We consider the most unique and exclusive features that will set your app apart from others and generate revenue.
- Development Phase: Scum Digital has experienced and skilled fantasy sports app development teams to deliver a successful creation of your app. We ensure that you regularly communicate with the developer to avoid feature and function creation delays.
- Testing and Launch: After development, we test for bugs and errors before launching the app. Once the app is bug-free, it can be launched with the help of our development team.
- Marketing and Promotion: The final and crucial stage of fantasy sports app development is marketing and promotion. Our team will advertise and promote the app through various strategies to attract a large audience and make it stand out among competitors.
How Much Does it Cost to Create a Fantasy Sports App?
- The cost of creating a fantasy sports app can vary greatly depending on many factors, such as the app’s complexity, the number of features included, the platform(s) it will be developed for, and the development team you choose to work with.
- On average, the cost to develop a basic fantasy sports app can range from $30,000 to $50,000. However, if you are looking for a more complex app with additional features and functionality, the cost can easily exceed $100,000 or more.
- It’s also important to note that the fantasy sports app development cost is just one aspect of creating a fantasy sports app. You will also need to budget for ongoing costs such as server hosting, maintenance, and marketing.
- Another important factor to consider is the geolocation of the development team, as it can affect the cost. For instance, hiring a development team based in North America or Western Europe will be more expensive than hiring a team from Eastern Europe or Asia.
A potential developer like Scrum Digital’s team can help you better understand the costs and timelines for creating a fantasy sports app that meets your specific needs.
Bottom-Line
Fantasy Sports App Development is a great way to tap into the rapidly growing fantasy sports market. Though it is a complex process, but with the right guidance and resources, it can be a rewarding endeavor.
The app development cost can vary depending on the app’s features and functionality, but it is important to consider the potential return on investment. With the rising popularity of fantasy sports, now is the perfect time to dive into the world of fantasy sports app development.
If you’re interested in developing your own fantasy sports app, look no further than Scrum Digital. Our team of experienced IT professionals can guide you through the development process, from concept to launch.
With our expertise in fantasy sports app development, we can help you create a unique and engaging platform for users to compete and win.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to tap into the lucrative fantasy sports market. Contact Scrum Digital today to discuss your fantasy sports app development needs.
