No satisfactory and individual law for the Fantasy Sports industry, somewhere affecting the growth of the Fantasy Sports industry. In-country like the UK, there is one common rule for Fantasy Sports operators, but like in India; it’s a matter of state government. By the time some Fantasy Sports platforms have proved themselves and won the tag of “skill-based game” and get the permission to host the services in different regions.
We have dug deeper and found out the laws related to the Fantasy Sports industry in different regions.
Fantasy Gaming Apps – “Game of Chance” Arguments why fantasy gaming apps are a game of chance.
Fantasy Gaming Apps - “Game of Skill”
A game of skills is a game that is dominated by the skills and its results are influenced by the Fantasy user’s ability and not a chance. To find the nature of the Fantasy Sports platform, the Government relies on the dominant factor test.
For an app to justify the “game of skill”; skills should dominate the entire game- from team formation to results.
During the Varun gambler vs Union Territory of Chandigarh and Ors case in the Punjab and Haryana Court considered the Fantasy games as games of skills because of the below reasons:
- Assess players based on their ability
- Fair chance of winning the contest
- No biases towards any team or individual
- All the players are selected based on past performance
- A team should consider factors that affect their winning in the game
- Results should be transparent
Legal Status of Fantasy Sports in Other Countries
The legal status and laws for the Fantasy Sports industry change from region to region. Here we have summed up the herd rules for the Fantasy Sports operators in the UK, the US, and Australia.
Australia
Like India, Australia is also not open to the regulation of fantasy games. The interactive gaming Act came into effect in 2001. The act allowed players to play games based on skill and restricted the gaming! As the Fantasy Sports industry grew, in 2015, an amendment bill was passed to the Interactive gaming act permitting the regulation of the Fantasy Industry.
And recently in 2025, as per the new amendment, all Fantasy Sports operators can regulate their business by acquiring a legal license from the authority and can only conduct skill-based game activities.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the operation of the Fantasy Sports industry is quite sorted. The Fantasy Sports industry comes under the Gambling Act of 2005 which allows the functioning of fantasy sports platforms with the license.
This law is applicable across the nation which avoids the struggle to deal with state or regional law. Operators need to acquire the Gaming Commission of Licence. But, to get the license all rules and regulations need to be comprehended.
Conclusion
With time, the Governments are taking a step forward to understand the Fantasy Sports industry better and differentiating between ‘game of chance’ and ‘game of skill’. The industry has such a bright future that it is only gonna generate huge revenue and will improve the contribution of the Sports industry to the growing economy of the nation. Fantasy App Developer can assist you with fantasy sports development and initiate your journey in the respective industry.
