Fantasy sports body launched in India

FIFS, a non-profit body that was formed to create regulations on DFS, officially launched last week.

The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) was officially launched on October 24 in India. The non-profit group represents 13 daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators and is supposed to protect users by creating a regulatory frame to operate in the country.

Genesis Burson Marsteller (GBM), a leading public advocacy firm, will be in charge of managing the Federation. Vinay Jha, Principal Advisor and Public Affairs at GBM, said: “A self-regulatory body supported by its members is the strategic way forward to address the issues and opportunities of the Fantasy Sports industry in an efficient manner.”

Moreover, CEO of Dream11 and one of the founding members of FIFS, added that operators are looking forward to working with FIFS in the exponentially growing industry in order to protect all Indian users’ interests through a self-regulatory framework.

Earlier this year, Indian Courts in Punjab and Haryana determined that daily fantasy sports services were allowed to legally operate in the states as the daily fantasy sports sector cannot be considered as a form of gambling because it operates as a game of skill.