The figure, according to the fantasy sports group, is also more than double than the number of players in 2009, which was only 28.4 million.
FSTA says the data reflects the fact that fantasy sports in North America has become a US$ 7.22 billion industry. That includes spending more than US$ 1 billion on such "ancillary” activities and goods as draft parties, food and drink and fantasy-related memorabilia.
"The
fantasy sports industry’s continuing growth demonstrates consumers’ passion for
the hobby and their desire to play with friends and family,” FSTA president
Paul Charchian said in a statement.
"We continue to see innovation that broadens the appeal of fantasy sports and
data that shows tremendous gains in the scale of participation and economic
impact,” Charchian added.
Breaking down the research, FTSA pointed out that football (american) remains players’ favorite offering, with nearly three-quarters of all fantasy players associated with football-related fantasy games, leagues and groups.
Male players still dominate the industry with 71 % while female players are at 29 %.
At present, half of all the American states have introduced proposals to legalize and regulate the fantasy industry. The newest state to pass legislation was Arkansas. The 10 other states that legalized DFS were Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Tennessee and Virginia.
In April, the FSTA said that more than two-thirds of fantasy sports firms have closed, merged or changed focus since questions on the industry’s legality in 2015.
Source: GMB / Calvin Ayre
