“Play, compete, win.”

In today’s world, there is no one who does not watch sports, and everyone has got into the habit of watching live scores.

More and more people watch live sports on mobile phones because they can watch it anytime and anywhere through the app. People want to see their favorite players playing well, and their records should be shattered. With this popularity, the demand for fantasy sports mobile apps has rapidly increased, and users from every corner of the world are connected to the fantasy app.

According to recorded research on the global market, the fantasy sports app market was valued at $30.95 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach around $87.07 billion by the end of 2031.

This data shows that starting a fantasy sports business is a money-making opportunity for entrepreneurs to self-start their businesses and reach the top ḍestination of this competitive market.

This supercharged blog will explore how to start a fantasy sports business and how you can compete with other popular fantasy mobile apps.

Quick Summary: In this blog, we will explore how to start a fantasy sports business and its features, cost, robust development stage, and laws on fantasy sports business.

 

What Is Fantasy Sports Apps?

Fantasy sports apps are online platforms that allow users to create virtual teams of their favorite players and compete with other users. Users can earn points on the performance of their selected players in real matches.

 

 

There is a wide variety of fantasy sports such as basketball, football, cricket, soccer, baseball, hocket, and more. This platform allows users to manage their profiles, play contests, secure payment options, and personalized recommendations.

• This platform updates sports events, such as live scores, upcoming matches, and recent matches.
• Fantasy Sports apps allow users to earn rewards when participating in contests and winning from the other virtual team.
• It provides various online payment methods such as net banking, digital wallets, credit or debit cards, and bank transfers.
• The fantasy app provides player statistics such as team name, overall matches played, best score, and more.

 

Market Analysis of Fantasy Sports Apps

• According to the global market, the fantasy sports app market was valued at $30.95 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach around $87.07 billion by the end of 2031.
• According to the reports, the fantasy sports app market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.80% during the forecast period.
• According to a study, the number of fantasy sports app users will grow to 180 million in 2023 and is projected to reach half a billion in 2027.
• According to a survey, 30% of 18-plus Americans participate in fantasy sports apps, which can increase the overall user base.
• According to the global market, around 30.1 million players in the USA have participated in football fantasy sports.

 

 

Top 10 Fantasy Sports Apps

To create a fantasy sports website & app, you need to consider the popular fantasy apps to understand their functionality and the whole working process. So, here we provide the top fantasy sports mobile apps:

 

 

App	Downloads	Ratings	Launch Year	Availability
ESPN Fantasy Sports	10M+	4.2	2008	Android, iOS, Web
CBS Sports Fantasy	5M+	4.3	2008	Android, iOS, Web
DraftKings Fantasy Sports	10M+	4.4	2012	Android, iOS, Web
Dream11	500M+	4.5	2008	Android, iOS, Web
Yahoo Fantasy Sports	10M+	4.8	1999	Android, iOS, Web
RotoWire Fantasy Sports	1M+	4.4	2005	Android, iOS, Web
Fantasy Life	1M+	4.5	2015	Android, iOS, Web
Parimatch	1M+	4.5	2000	Android, iOS, Web
FanDuel Fantasy Sports	10M+	4.5	2009	Android, iOS, Web
Bet365	10M+	4.2	2000	Android, iOS, Web

 

How To Start A Fantasy Sports Business?

To start a fantasy sports business, consider the following robust development stages to understand each process properly. It involves many essential methods that must be implemented in your business process. So, here we provide the guide to starting a fantasy sports business app development:

 

• Research in Fantasy Industry
• Create a Business Plan
• Core or Advanced Features
• Design UI/UX
• Fantasy Sports Rules & License
• Development
• Testing and QA
• Launching and Marketing

 

 

1. Research in Fantasy Industry

In the first stage of starting a fantasy sports business, observe or analyze popular existing fantasy apps to understand their functionality and specifications. Research the fantasy industry to find out which types of fantasy apps are growing the most and what specifications they have. Identify your fantasy app’s requirements and needs.

 

2. Create a Business Plan

Let’s move to the second stage of starting a fantasy sports business. Before creating your fantasy app, create a business plan on how to motivate your users to use it. Who are the ideal users of your app, or what type of audience should the app target so that they use it as much as possible? What solutions does your app have to solve the weak point of your app?

 

3. Core or Advanced Features

In this third stage, discover in the fantasy industry the basic features of similar fantasy apps and select useful features from them to implement in your app. Hire dedicated developers to select the unique features to attract more users and increase the user base and credibility.

Advanced features can increase the overall development cost. So, select features according to your project’s requirements.

 

4. Design UI/UX

Let’s come to the fourth stage: develop a fantasy sports website & app with a unique or high-quality design. We need to observe the various designing tools and premium themes.

This includes designing resources such as layouts, dashboards, admin or user panels, icons, and menubars. Design a user-friendly interface that allows users to interact easily with all features and functions of the fantasy app.

 

5. Fantasy Sports Rules & License

In this fifth stage, to create a fantasy app legally, you have to apply for a license or get approved only if all your documents are complete or you are eligible to get the license. If you need a professional to understand all these processes, then contact IT consulting services to provide all the details.

 

 

6. Development

Moving to the sixth stage, build a fantasy sports website & app, is one of the most crucial stages of overall development. It includes many implementation phases, such as integrated modes, built-in functions or features, modules, classes, objects, integration of third-party services, and more. You need to be careful about every implementation because sometimes developers miss useful implementations.

 

7. Testing and QA

The seventh stage is one of the most important. In this stage, test your app under various situations and ensure that all features are working correctly. Hire mobile app developers from a reputed fantasy sports app development company to scan for errors or bugs and fix them correctly. Also, check the app’s quality because it can decrease during the implementation and development phase.

 

8. Launching and Marketing

Let’s move forward to the last stage. For an app to launch successfully, you need to assemble a highly skilled development team to publish the app to the selected platforms. Now, it’s time for marketing, which includes many popular techniques such as email marketing, affiliate marketing, content marketing, and sharing it on social media platforms.

 

Laws On Fantasy Sports Business You Need To Know

There are many laws in place to legally operate fantasy sports apps and different countries have different laws. If you are making a fantasy app, then it is very important for you to know all these laws because, without their knowledge, you cannot operate the fantasy app legally. Here, we provide the laws and tips to start a fantasy sports business:

 

 

1. United States Laws on Fantasy Sports

Many cities within the United States require a DFS operator to operate a fantasy app or verify that no gambling or other illegal activity is taking place. Washington and Nevada have banned DFS operators due to gambling reasons.

• For Fantasy licensing, they check the background status.
• Apply player protection laws strictly, which requires DFS.

 

2. United Kingdom Laws on Fantasy Sports

In the United Kingdom, to make fantasy sports apps legal, even if they involve real money cash prizes, fantasy sports apps will have to obtain a license from the UK Gambling Commission. In the UK, fantasy football is not considered gambling because it has a physical skill outcome.

• If fantasy apps involve a real-money prize, they need a UKGC license.
• For licenses, ensure fair game standards and no illegal gambling.

 

3. India Laws on Fantasy Sports

In 2017, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that fantasy sports are skilled games, not gambling games. Hence, fantasy apps based on them were legalized. Two states in India still require a license to operate fantasy apps and strictly follow gambling restrictions. 

• Follow national guidelines for start a fantasy sports business.
• Apply for a license in certain states to operate fantasy apps.

 

4. Australian Laws on Fantasy Sports

In Australia, the federal and state governments set the rules and regulations for fantasy apps. When fantasy apps were launched, they started running in Australia, but the government banned them when they involved real-money cash prizes. Non-money cash prize apps are still available.

• Fantasy apps with real-money cash prizes need a license from the Australian government.
• In Australia, each state has different rules and regulations on fantasy sports apps.

 

5. Brazil’s Laws on Fantasy Sports

Brazil is a growing country for fantasy sports. It considers fantasy sports a skilled game as long as gambling is not mixed into it. To start a legitimate fantasy sports business, you must consider the licensing process and prepare the documents to apply the legal formalities for fantasy sports apps.

• Prepare documents, and the Brazilian government checks operators’ backgrounds to approve the license.
• Restrictions on advertisements of gambling.

 

Why Do Most Entrepreneurs Invest In Fantasy Sports Business?

In this modern era, fantasy sports apps are one of the most demanding businesses for entrepreneurs to start and grow a fantasy sports business in a new way. This business provides higher success rates than related businesses and offers new revenue stream opportunities. So, here is the list of the benefits of fantasy sports app development:

 

• User Engagement
• Revenue Opportunities
• Market Demand
• Data Insights
• Competitive Advantage

 

 

1. User Engagement 

The first benefit of a well-designed fantasy app is that it can attract more users globally and increase overall user engagement. Fantasy apps provide advanced features that make it easy for users to explore the apps’ services and enter contests. These user engagements can also increase the brand reputation in this competitive market.

 

2. Revenue Opportunities

Let’s come to the second benefit: fantasy apps with extensive functionality can generate new revenue streams for businesses. Revenue opportunities can vary depending on the format, such as in-app purchases, advertising, subscription plans, a freemium model, transaction fees, collaborations, partnerships, and more.

 

 

3. Market Demand

As we discussed in the whole blog, the market demand for fantasy sports apps has been rapidly increasing daily. It includes many ups and downs, but investing in the live cricket score app development is a robust profit-making opportunity to expand their offline business into a growing online business.

 

4. Data Insights

Moving to the fourth benefit, fantasy sports apps can observe users’ behaviors, preferences, purchasing patterns, habits, most used services, and demographics. These useful data allow businesses to identify new areas for improvement and enhance the product’s quality to attract more users globally.

 

5. Competitive Advantage

Let’s move to the last benefit: fantasy apps with unique functionalities and specifications can gain a competitive advantage in this relevant industry market. These apps include many advanced functionalities, such as user profiles, player details, real-time data analytics, live match ratings, fantasy team creation, social sharing features, and financial rewards.

 

What are the Must-Have Features of a Fantasy Sports App?

The success of every app depends upon the features and functionalities that an app offers. The features can be divided into user panel features, admin panel features, and additional features. The fantasy app developer you have hired must have ample experience in implementing these.

The following represent essential features from the point of user’s view and admin.

 

i. Fantasy Sports App Features for User

 

 

• Login/Signup:

There are various ways of logging in/signups, such as via phone number and email id. It would be best if you include the social media login feature that helps the user on boarding fast.

 

• Landing Page:

It is one of the vital features that every app like Dream11 must-have. Here a user must see all the contests, leagues, profile control, and other information such as upcoming events, offers, etc.

 

• Profile Setting:

With the help of this option, users will have full control over their profiles. They can add, remove or modify their details.

 

• My Team:

It allows users to choose the players for team formation. Here users will also get the real-time statistics of the players.

 

• Join Contest:

Under this tab user is allowed to join the ongoing & upcoming contests.

 

• My Winnings:

Showcase the games won & lost and the user’s earnings.

 

ii. Fantasy Sports App Features for Admin

 

 

• Dashboard:

Allows admin to have complete control over the app, including user’s activity, contest planning, generated revenue, cash award distributed to the users, and many other options.

 

• Account Management:

The admin can remove and add the user accounts, user restrictions, user profile control, and other tasks related to the account management.

 

• Results:

Via this option, the administrator can have the full report about who won and lost the game, how many points an individual user earned.

 

• Payment:

Under this section, transaction management takes place. It showcases the total revenue generated and cash prize distributed to the users.

 

• Push-Notification:

Admin can send a push notification, real-time alerts, messages, and emails to inform the users of upcoming events.

Note:  There is tough competition in the market, and several fantasy sports apps are available, so including some additional features will be advantageous.

 

iii. Additional Features of Fantasy Sports App

• In-App Chat
• In-App Call
• Social Media Sharing
• Live score & statistics
• Live match streaming
• Multiple payment modes
• Analytics
• Leader board
• Coupons
• Offer Generation

 

 

The Cost To Start A Fantasy Sports Business

The cost to start a fantasy sports business depends on many different factors, such as licensing fees, features, tech stacks, design, marketing, functions, and deployment platforms. It also includes many other expenses, such as the development team, SSL certificate, complexity, infrastructure, size, developer location, and more. Fantasy sports app development cost is around $8,000 to $25,000 or more.

Now, here we deliver the cost table for detailed information about the overall development cost:

 

Cost to Start A Fantasy Sports Business

 

Fantasy Sports App Development	Estimated Cost	Time Frame
Basic  Fantasy Sports App Development	$8000 – $12000	2 to 5 Months
Mid-Complex Fantasy Sports App Development	$12000 – $20000	5 to 8 Months
High-Complex Fantasy Sports App Development	$25000+	9+ Months

 

The maintenance cost of fantasy golf app development involves many significant factors that can fluctuate the post-maintenance cost. It is around 15% to 20% of the overall development cost.

 

How To Make Money From The Fantasy Sports Business?

You have created a very good and fully functional fantasy sports app, so now you have no idea how to earn money from this app or increase the valuation of your business. You don’t need to worry about this; here we come with the best monetization techniques that can easily generate new revenue streams for your business:

• Subscription-Based Models
• In-App Purchase
• Advertising
• Entry Fees
• Partnerships

 

1. Subscription-Based Models

Let’s begin the first monetization technique: fantasy sports apps offer different paid subscription models, such as basic, premium, and enterprise. If the user wants to participate in every contest, they need to subscribe to the paid plan. The subscription plan needs to be purchased on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly.

 

2. In-App Purchase

The second monetization technique is if participants want to access the individual services or functions of fantasy apps. Users need to purchase the additional features or services of the app, and it also offers the feature that users have to pay for what they use. So, these in-app purchases can lead the way to generate new revenue streams for businesses.

 

3. Advertising

In this third monetization technique, the fantasy sports app allows third-party vendors to access your app’s products or services to boost their sales. These services are shown in your fantasy sports app as advertising, and you can charge a good fee for showing them. Advertising formats can vary in different modes, such as image ads, native ads, display ads, and more.

 

4. Entry Fees

Let’s move to the fourth monetization technique. Fantasy sports apps provide users with basic contests free of cost, and pool prizes are only discount coupons. According to the sports betting app development company, if the user wants to participate in the premium contest with bumper prize pools, they must pay the entry fees for every premium contest.

 

5. Partnerships

Let’s come to the last monetization technique. Fantasy sports apps have the ability to allow access to professional businesses to sell their products and services via your app. You can earn an acceptable income from every sale of their services. So, these partnerships can able to generate new revenue streams for your business and increase the overall valuation.

 

How Dev Technosys Will Help You?

Now, it’s time to end the blog. In this blog, we told you why you should start a fantasy sports app and how you can start it well. We tell you why each development stage is important and why you should observe it closely so that your app does not face any problems in the future.

We have also detailed the cost to start a fantasy sports business app. You can recover the usage cost through monetization techniques such as subscription plans, transaction fees, or advertising.

Are you ready to start your own successful fantasy sports business? Then, share your project requirements with Dev Technosys, a highly reputed mobile app development company, to deliver efficient or robust apps.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q1. How To Start A Fantasy Sports Business App?

To start a fantasy sports business, here we provide the robust stages to start a successful app:

• Identify the project requirements 
• Create business plan
• Define core features
• Design UI/UX
• Licensing and rules
• Development
• Testing and launching

 

Q2. How Much Does It Cost To Start A Fantasy Sports Business?

The fantasy or sports betting app development cost is around $8,000 to $25,000 or more. It can depends on the various factors such as features, functions, size, and complexity.

 

Q3. Is Fantasy Sports Apps Profitable?

Yes, fantasy sports businesses provide more profits and increase the overall business valuation. It offers various monetization techniques, such as:

• Subscription-bases model
• Advertising
• Partnership
• Freemium model

 

Q4. Who Is The Best Fantasy Sports Apps?

There are various best fantasy sports apps that offer advanced functionalities and services:

• Dream11
• Bet365
• ESPN Fantasy Sports
• DraftKings Fantasy Sports
• Yahoo Fantasy Sports

 

Q5. How Long Does It Take To Develop A Fantasy Sports Website & App?

To create a mobile app like fantasy sports, it usually takes around 3 to 8 months and depending on the project requirement and complexity.