The love for sports across all age groups in Rajasthan is known to all. Over the years, the state has been in the limelight because of its increased participation in sports as well as increased investment in sports infrastructure that is contributing to the overall growth of sports in the state.
Rajasthan’s sports frenzy has no plans to slow down. With the RCA’s new and upcoming cricket stadium in Jaipur, which is slated to be the third-largest stadium in the world to competitive domestic teams across sports such as cricket, kabaddi, and handball, the state that gifted India an Olympic Champion in 2004 is on an extremely positive growth trajectory in sports.
Several factors can be attributed to the growth of sports in India. The list is growing, from development and rise of sports engagement platforms like Fantasy Sports to advancements in the technology used to produce and present games to franchise-based sports leagues that are helping athletes from various sports to become household names. India’s Fantasy Sports sector is fast contributing to the growth of India’s sports ecosystem. With 13+ Crore users across 200+ Fantasy Sports platforms, India is today the world’s biggest market for Fantasy Sports.
In October 2020, The Rajasthan High Court dismissed a petition seeking a ban on Fantasy Sports platforms while claiming that “the format of online fantasy sports is a game of mere skill”. This was further confirmed when Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Ashok Gehlot, called for Fantasy Sports to be regulated in his recent address. This has got the sports fans across the state excited and, more importantly, in agreement with CM’s thoughts.
While expressing his agreement with the CM’s vision, Nitin Singh, an active Fantasy Sports player from Kota, said, “Sports tech solutions such as Fantasy Sports have revolutionised the way we are engaging with sports. The knowledge and skill required to create a Fantasy Sports team leads a sports fan to read, research more about the team’s past performance, player statistics and much more. This has also led to an increased interest, consumption and engagement with sports other than cricket. The format is unique as one can only participate in Fantasy Sports when a live sports match is on, thereby making it pure sports engagement and for a true sports fan. I hope the Government regulates fantasy sports and allows for meaningful fan engagement & user interest protection.”
Neha Jain, an engineering student, believes, “I play Fantasy Sports only during the IPL as I have been following IPL since season 1 – when the team from my state were crowned champions. It is an intelligent & active way to connect with my favourite league. Self regulation is the best way forward for Fantasy Sports, as just like the early days of the IT sector, it will drive accelerated growth. Apart from leading to an increased interactive participation in sports and viewership, self regulation will also enable the sector to create exponential employment opportunities and contribute to building a robust grassroots sports infrastructure ecosystem, which is a win-win for all.”
It is pertinent to note that recently, the Central Government has gone on record to say that online gaming is centrally regulated under the IT Act and online gaming is an intermediary which will be regulated by MEITY. In a written response to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said “Online gaming platforms are intermediaries and they have to follow the due diligence as prescribed in the IT Act, 2000 and the Rules thereunder.”
NITI Aayog has also released draft guidelines for the Fantasy Sports sector, prescribing light touch governance. As a progressive sports loving state, the Government of Rajasthan should enact liberal policies that encourage the growth of Fantasy sports which further boost the growth of this sunrise industry.