Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports

The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports or FIFS is India's only self-governing body for Fantasy sport in India and is based in New Delhi. They support Fantasy Sports and work towards their welfare.[1]

Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports
AbbreviationFIFS
Formation2017
Purposestandardised best practices in Online Fantasy Sports, implement regulatory framework, grow fantasy sporting
HeadquartersRegal Building,

Connaught Place, New Delhi,

Delhi, India
Location
  • India
Region
India
FieldsFantasy Sports
Membership
21
Official language
English
President
Harsh Jain
Websitehttps://www.fifs.in

FIFS was previously formed as the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming or IFSG, later changing to the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports. The CEO of FIFS is Anwar Shirpurwala[2] and Harsh Jain is the president and co-founder/CEO of Dream11.[3]

History

FIFS was founded as the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming or IFSG in 2017.[4][5] They are registered under Section 8 of the Indian Companies Act, 2013. It is the only regulatory and representative body of the Fantasy Sports Industry in India.[6] Former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri was appointed as the Ombudsman and Ethics Officer.[7]

The State of Kerala received petitions wanting a ban on fantasy gaming sites and applications. The Court studied several clauses and constitutional acts and concluded that Rummy, Card Games, Dart Throw, Ball Throw, and Shooting Contest. Similar to such games, Online Fantasy Sports also require the Game of Skill and are passed as legal, according to Section 14 (A) of 1976.[8][9]

The State of Rajasthan reviewed the plea and finalized an order on online Fantasy Sports. The Court recognized Fantasy Sports as a game of skill and not betting or gambling. The 276th Law Commission Report mentions fantasy games like fantasy football as opposed to betting.[10]

The Union Territory of Chandigarh examined the Fantasy Sport in question and dismissed the case stating the game doesn’t involve gambling.[11]

The Bombay High Court, on 13th April 2019 also approved the usage of Fantasy Sports. The court recognized it as a legitimate business and applied the game of skill in its function.[11]

The Supreme Court officially recognized Fantasy Sports and online fantasy in 2021. The bench mentioned Fantasy Sports as a Game of Skill involving money and does not represent any betting or gambling roles.[12][13]

Some states like Assam, Sikkim, Nagaland, Adhisa, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have still refused to recognize Fantasy Sports, as a legally operated business.[14]

FIFS committee members
  • Anwar Shirpurwala, CEO
  • Harsh Jain, President
  • Bimal Julka, Chairman[15]
  • Joy Bhattacharjya, Director General[16]
  • Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri, Ombudsman, Ethics Officer
  • John Loffhagen, Member of Advisory Council
  • Amrit Mathur, Member of Advisory Council[17]
  • Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, Member of Advisory Council[17]

FIFS members

Following is the list of FIFS member, ' fantasy sport organisations'.[18]

Platform Names Organisations
Dream11 Sporta Technologies Pvt Ltd.
Fantasy Akhanda[19] Super Six Sports Gaming Pvt Ltd.
A23[20] Head Digital Works Pvt Ltd
Guru11 Intuitor Technofantasy Pvt Ltd.
Sportasy Blossomfield Gamingzone Pvt Ltd.
Khelo Fantasy Live[21] Gig Work Pvt Ltd.
Faboom
Loft League
Vinfotech
Twelfth man
FSL11
Fanstrike
Mega game 11
Spice fantacy

See also

References
  1. "As IPL 2022 Peaks, Fantasy Cricket Body Loses Punch As Big Online Gaming Companies Quit". Outlookindia. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  2. "Special session on fantasy sports on first day of BLF on Friday". The Pioneer. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  3. "Dream11 Turned Fantasy (gaming) Into Reality. Now It's Eyeing A Diversified Sports Tech Future". Forbes India. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  4. "Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports welcomes I&B Ministry's advisory against online betting ads". The Hindu. 6 October 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  5. "FIFS Welcomes MIB's Advisories Against Illegal Offshore Betting Platforms Advertisements". News18. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  6. "Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports Onboards Spice Fantasy as a Start-up Member". News18. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  7. Hariharan, Sindhu. "Justice A K Sikri appointed ombudsman of Indian Federation of Sports Gaming - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  8. Singh, Vicky (15 February 2022). "In A Hat-Trick Of Wins For The Fantasy Sports Sector, Karnataka High Court Also Quashes The Law That Criminalized Fantasy Sports In The State". Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  9. "Why Fantasy Sports Is Gambling, Not A Sport, Says Sunieta Ojha". Forbes India. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  10. "Rajasthan High Court dismisses Plea against Online Fantasy Games". Law Insider India. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  11. "Is it legal to play fantasy sports like Dream11 for real money in India?". G2G News. 2 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  12. "Supreme Court upholds Dream11 fantasy sports format as game of skill". The Economic Times. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  13. "Supreme Court upholds Rajasthan High Court decision on online fantasy sport platform Dream11". The Hindu. 8 August 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  14. "Fantasy or Reality- Leveraging Technology for money Games". Lexology. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  15. "Bimal Julka Appointed As Chairman Of Federation Of Indian Fantasy Sports". News18. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  16. Khosla, Varuni (15 July 2022). "Joy Bhattacharjya appointed director general Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports". mint. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  17. "Fantasy sports industry body onboards two former judges". Techcircle. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  18. https://fifs.in/members/
  19. Laghate, Gaurav. "Fantasy Akhada in talks to raise $5 million in Series A funding". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  20. Khosla, Varuni (16 February 2022). "Gaming app A23 signs Shah Rukh Khan as brand ambassador". mint. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  21. "Samir Kochhar named brand ambassador of Khelo Fantasy Live - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
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