India’s fantasy sports market is valued at an estimated $1.82 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to $5.5 billion by 2030, driven by the adoption of cricket and mobile internet.
In this article, I will cover the market size of fantasy sports in India, revenue share, user base growth, and leading platforms.
I will also explain how demographics, such as age, gender, and region, affect the adoption of fantasy gaming, and provide insights into which sports dominate user preferences.
This will help you understand the real scale and impact of fantasy sports in India, with verified stats and data-backed insights.
Fantasy Games In India: 2025 Highlights
- The fantasy sports market in India is currently valued at 1.82 billion dollars in 2025.
- The fantasy sports market will see a decline of 10% in 2025 and generate an estimated revenue of ₹8,200 crore.
- In 2019, the average user of a fantasy app was reported to spend 42 minutes on the platform daily.
- In 2023, the average fantasy app user in India was reported to spend Rs 4,200 a year on fantasy gaming, which is Rs 350 a month.
- In FY22, the fantasy sports industry contributed Rs 3,100 crore to real-world sports by marketing and sponsorships.
- There are over 300 million or 30 crore fantasy sports players in India.
- As reported in 2023, 75% of fantasy sports users are below the age of 35.
The Fantasy Sports Market In India Is Valued At 1.82 Billion Dollars
- As of 2025, the fantasy sports market in India is valued at $ 1.82 billion.
- Comparatively, in 2024, the fantasy sports market in India was valued at $ 1.2 billion.
Fantasy Sports In India Is Expected To Grow To 5.05 Billion Dollars
- By 2030, the fantasy sports market is estimated to reach a value of 5.05 billion dollars.
- This is a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.6% from 2025 to 2030.
These estimations vary greatly across sources and depend on how the size is being calculated. The above is Industry valuation and not size by revenue.
Source: Mordor int, Redseer
Fantasy Sports Market Size In India: Year-on-Year Analysis
- According to the Federation of Fantasy Sports in India, the fantasy sports market is expected to decline by 10% in 2025, generating an estimated revenue of ₹8,200 crore.
- The number for valuation of the sports market varies greatly across sources, but the reported estimated revenue for 2024 was ₹9,100 crore, which showed a CAGR of 11%.
| Year | Estimated Market Size (By Revenue) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | ₹8,200 crore |
| 2024 | ₹9,100 crore |
| 2023 | ₹8,200 crore |
| 2022 | ₹6,800 crore |
| 2021 | ₹5,200 crore |
| 2020 | ₹2,470 crore |
| 2019 | ₹924 crore |
- In the post-GST regime, the fantasy sports market is expected to reach a market revenue of ₹12,900 crore by 2029, a growth rate of 12%.
Source: Page 4/6-FIFS25, Page 16-17-FIFS20, Page 6-FIFS23
On Average, Users Spend 42 Minutes A Day On Fantasy Sports In India
- In 2019, the average user of a fantasy app was reported to spend 42 minutes on the platform daily.
- Data from 2023 suggests that only 10% og the users played fantasy sports twice a week or more.
- The same also suggests that 80% users play fantasy sports just once a week or even less.
- On average, fantasy sports users spend 175 minutes a week watching and understanding sports.
Source: MRGE, FIFS
Users Spend An Average Of Rs. 500-2000 Per Month On Fantasy Sports
- In 2023, the average fantasy app user in India was reported to spend Rs 4,200 a year on fantasy gaming, which is Rs 350 a month.
- But the paid users only make up 20% of the lot. 80% users participate for free.
Source: FIFS
Fantasy Sports Companies Have Invested ₹3,100 Crore In Real-World Sports By 2023
- In FY22, the fantasy sports industry contributed Rs 3,100 crore to real-world sports by marketing and sponsorships.
- This investment is expected to reach Rs 6,500 crore by FY27.
- After Dream11 faced a 95% loss in revenue due to the Online Gaming Bill 2025, it had to halt its Rs 358 crore sponsorship for the BCCI. This leaves BCCI hunting for a new sponsorship.
Source: FIFS, CNBC
Indian Fantasy Cricket Is The Most Played Fantasy Sport In India
- In 2023, 85% of fantasy sports users in India played fantasy cricket, including those who played a single sport or more.
- A far second and third were Kabaddi and Football, with 26% and 22% users playing them. (This exceeding of numbers exists because more than 30% players played more than one fantasy sport.)
| Sport | User percentage |
|---|---|
| Cricket | 85% |
| Kabaddi | 26% |
| Football | 22% |
| Basketball | 7% |
| Others | 12% |
- Among the other sports included were sports like Handball, Hockey, Volleyball, American Football, Futsal, and Baseball.
- Although the popularity of cricket remains at the top, other sports have been seeing great traction. Kabaddi saw a user base of 9% in FY21 to 26% in FY22.
Source: FIFS
There Are 250 Million Dream11 Users In India – Highest In All Fantasy Sports Apps
- Dream11 had more than 250 million registered users in 2025.
- India has over 200 fantasy sports platforms of its own.
- One of the other major players is my11circle, which has reported 5,00,000 users as of June 2025.
- Mobile Premier League, also called MPL, has 120 million users as of 2025, but not exclusively in India. This number is a total from other countries where the platform is also active.
Sources: Dream11, FIFS, Instagram, LinkedIn
30 Crore People Play Fantasy Sports In India Every Day
- There are over 300 million or 30 crore fantasy sports players in India.
- This is followed by a rapid growth of users in recent years, with 225 million fantasy sports users known in 2024.
- According to Codiant reports, 89% of users play fantasy sports at least once a month.
Here is a table showing the number of active fantasy sports users in India over the past few years.
| Year | Active Users (In millions) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 300 |
| 2024 | 225 |
| 2023 | 180 |
| 2022 | 160 |
| 2021 | 130 |
| 2020 | 90 |
- Putting together the active users from the last 5 years, from 90 million users in 2020 to 300 million users in 2025, the number of fantasy sports users saw a CAGR of 27.22%. (Using the CAGR formula for the year 2020-2025)
Sources: Bastion, Pg 23/25 – FIFS25, Pg 3 – MRGE, Pg 23/25 – FIFS25
1. 75% Of The Fantasy Sports Users Are Below 35 Years Of Age
- As reported in 2023, 75% of fantasy sports users are under 35. This consists of 35% of the users being between the ages of 18-24, and then 40% of users ranging from ages 25-34.
- In FY22, this divide saw 59% of users between the age bracket of 25 to 40 years.
| Age | Users By Percentage |
|---|---|
| 18-24 | 35% |
| 25-34 | 40% |
| 35+ | 25% |
Sources: Page 35 – FIFS23, Pg 40 – FIFS23
2. 70% of Fantasy Sports Users Are Men
- It is estimated that 30% of users were women. This naturally leaves the remaining 70% to be covered by men. The report also noted that women are taking more interest in fantasy sports.
Sources: Page 35 – FIFS23
3. 85% Of People Play Fantasy Sports On A Mobile In India
- Among all fantasy sports users, 90.2% use mobile apps for playing fantasy sports, highlighting the role ease and convenience of access play in participation.
Sources: imarc
4. 33.2% Of Fantasy Sports Users In India Are From North India
- Although less is known about other regions, a majority of 33.2% of fantasy sports users come from North India.
Sources: imarc
Online Gaming Bill 2025 To Ban Fantasy Sports Apps?
- The Online Gaming Act, 2025, clearly says no one can offer or promote “online money games,” which includes paid fantasy.
- Sections 5 and 7 block these games from running and advertising, while the Act also bans financial transactions related to such services.
- Penalties are strict; operators face a fine of up to ₹1 crore or 3 years’ imprisonment for offering online money gaming, and a fine of up to ₹50 lakh or 2 years’ imprisonment for advertising, with enhanced penalties for repeat offenders.
- After the law passed, fantasy apps paused paid contests and asked users to withdraw their wallet balances.
- Free fantasy or esports without entry fees are not banned, but the final word depends on the rules and courts.
Sources: (SCC Online)
