Wikipedia

Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports

The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports or FIFS is India's only self-governing body for fantasy sports in India and is based in New Delhi. It supports the Indian fantasy sports industry and its interests.[1]

Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports
AbbreviationFIFS
Formation2017
HeadquartersNew Delhi, Delhi, India
Location
ServicesOnline fantasy sports betting
FieldsFantasy sports
Membership21
Official language
English
President
Harsh Jain
Websitewww.fifs.in
Formerly called
Indian Federation of Sports Gaming

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

History

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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 has been appointed as the organization's ombudsman and ethics officer.[7]

Controversies over legality

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The State of Kerala received petitions wanting a ban on fantasy gaming sites and applications. The Kerala High Court studied several clauses and constitutional acts and found that rummy, several other card games, darts, ball throwing contests, and shooting contests, even those involving bets, are games of skill, rather than games of chance, and thus not covered by gambling bans. Based on this information, it was decided on 15 February 2022 that because of their similarities to fantasy sports, fantasy sports betting is also a game of skill and is thus legal, according to section 14 (A) of 1976.[8][9]

On 13 April 2019, the Bombay High Court declared fantasy sports betting to be legal, recognizing it as a legitimate industry based on a game of skill.[10]

On 29 July 2021, the Rajasthan High Court reviewed a similar case and finalized a ruling on fantasy sports betting. Similarly to the Kerala ruling, fantasy sports were recognized as a games of skill, rather than illegal betting or gambling, by the 276th Law Commission Report.[11]

On 8 August 2021, the Supreme Court of India officially declared fantasy sports betting legal. The bench ruled that fantasy sports, with or without bets involved, counts as a game of skill involving money and does not constitute gambling or illegal betting.[12][13] Despite this ruling, fantasy sports betting is still banned in the states of Sikkim, Nagaland, Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.[14]

On 2 October 2021, a court in Chandigarh dismissed a case seeking to ban fantasy sports betting, stating the game doesn’t involve gambling.[10]

Charter for Fantasy Sports Platforms

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The "Charter for Fantasy Sports Platforms" is a regulatory framework issued by the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS). This Charter sets forth guidelines and operational standards for its member organizations who operate Fantasy Sports Platforms (FSPs) in India. The Charter aims to ensure that these platforms operate in a systematic, transparent, and legally compliant manner.

Overview

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The Charter is governed by the FIFS By-Laws, which may be amended or reissued from time to time. It establishes minimum standards and expectations for FSP operations within India and requires approval from the Fantasy Sports Regulatory Authority (FSRA) for an FSP to be recognized as a "FIFS Approved Operator". This approval is contingent upon full adherence to the general principles outlined in the Charter and ongoing compliance with its standards.

Organizational Requirements

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Under the Charter, each member must be duly incorporated in India, or maintain a corporate presence within the country. Members are required to display their full corporate name, contact information, and user support details prominently on their platforms.

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The Charter mandates that all contests on FSPs must be skill-predominant, where outcomes reflect the users' knowledge and skill rather than chance. Contests must involve real-world, live matches that are officially sanctioned by recognized sports federations. Furthermore, it stipulates that no manual changes to fantasy teams are allowed once the match has commenced.

Compliance with Indian legal standards is essential under the Charter. Members must adhere to all applicable laws, including those concerning registration, licensing, and taxation. The offering of paid contest formats is restricted to users who are 18 years of age and older, and all contests must ensure equal chances of winning.

Transparency and Integrity

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The Charter requires members to draft and publish clear and detailed terms and policies concerning contest operations on their platforms. These documents must explain the mechanics and rules of the contests, including point calculation and winner determination. Any changes to these documents must be communicated to all users in advance.

To uphold integrity, member personnel are prohibited from participating in any paid contests offered on their platforms. Members must also comply with the FIFS Responsible Gaming Policy and the directives issued by the FSRA.

Financial Integrity

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Members are obligated to maintain separate accounts for operational expenses and prize pools. The Charter specifies that funds in user accounts cannot be used for any purposes other than prize distributions to verified bank accounts, except under strictly regulated conditions.

Amendments

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The Charter can be amended according to the procedures set out in the By-Laws of the FIFS.

Leadership

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  • 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]
  • Ratnakar Shetty, Member of Advisory Council[17]

Member organizations

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The following is a list of FIFS member fantasy sport organizations:[18]

Platform Organization
Dream11 Sporta Technologies Pvt Ltd.
Fantasy Akhada[19] Super Six Sports Gaming Pvt Ltd.
A23[20] Head Digital Works Pvt Ltd
Sportasy Blossomfield Gamingzone Pvt Ltd.

See also

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References

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  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 (29 July 2019). "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. ^ a b "Is it legal to play fantasy sports like Dream11 for real money in India?". G2G News. 2 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Rajasthan High Court dismisses Plea against Online Fantasy Games". Law Insider India. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 21 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. ^ a b "Fantasy sports industry body onboards two former judges". Techcircle. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Members - FIFS". 18 March 2020.
  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.
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