Fantasy Sports Participation In North America Rises To 57.4 Million Players

News provided by

Jun 14, 2016, 11:30 ET

NEW YORK, June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fantasy sports participation in North America has reached 57.4-million players according to new research conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) and released today at the 2016 FSTA Summer Conference in New York. This is the highest number of players recorded in the history of the study and a nearly 1% increase over last year's participation boom.

"After two years of rapid growth fueled by the innovation of daily fantasy sports it's a true testament to the loyalty and passion of fantasy sports players that so many recent adoptees have become regular players," said FSTA President Paul Charchian. "Fantasy sports remains a social activity, made more enjoyable when playing with friends. That is why we are not surprised that the season-long game is continuing to grow comparably to the newer game formats."

Other key findings from the study include:

In 18 states surveyed, 61% of consumers support a law that makes playing fantasy sports for cash prizes legal
54% of consumers would cancel a league supported media service if not for fantasy sports (TV channels, satellite service, apps, etc.)
Mobile and other emerging platforms (i.e. gaming consoles, internet-connected TV) continue to grow as the predominant way (61%) players consume fantasy.
55% of players admit they are playing more fantasy sports due to technological innovations including the ability to play on a mobile device
Not only are more people playing, but players are managing more teams as the average number of teams managed per player increased from 5.8 last year to 7.0
Fantasy players are more interested in sports because of fantasy, with 64% reporting they are watching more live sports because of fantasy.
The number of players who play some form of daily fantasy sports has increased from 31% in 2012 to 64%
82% of all players play in a season-long league; just 19% exclusively play daily formats; and 17% play both formats

About FSTA
The Fantasy Sports Trade Association represents the fantasy sports industry with nearly 300 member companies ranging from small startups to large media corporations. As the voice of the industry since 1998, the FSTA has been the leader in providing demographic data, annual conferences and collective action to ensure unfettered growth. For more information, visit www.fsta.org.

SOURCE Fantasy Sports Trade Association