For students, money won from fantasy cricket games like Dream11 and Fantain, is a secondary source of income
Nitesh was a second-year student at an engineering college when his friends introduced him to fantasy cricket three years ago. Now it’s become a secondary source of income for the 22-year-old. He has won more than Rs 10 lakh and also started a YouTube channel to guide people on how to play.
How it started: I was a cricket buff. For me, Dream11 started as a fun game. Later, I felt it could be a good way to earn money. As far as Dream11 is concerned, I have won Rs 10,000 multiple times.
Mantra of success: In grand leagues, the investment is less and the number of people more, so luck plays an important role. In small leagues, where 10 or less people are involved, the skill factor works better and my personal favourite is two-person leagues where it works the best. The winning amount is also big in case of small leagues. The grand leagues are generally played by newcomers, who win because of luck. When you start analysing the game and understand its point system, you find better winning chances in small leagues.
The money: I started playing Fantain just a year ago and have won around Rs 6-7 lakh from that platform. I have been playing Dream11 professionally for the past 1-1.5 years and casually for almost three years.When I say I earned Rs 6-7 lakh, it doesn’t include the money I invested, which was around Rs 3-4 lakh. So my profit amount is just Rs 2-3 lakh. People should be cautious about this when they see the ads of winners on these apps. The platform deducts a service charge of 15-20 per cent from the winning amount, which is used to pay employee salaries and other infrastructure provided by them. And if you win more than Rs 10,000, around 30 per cent has to be paid as tax. If there is a small league match between two persons and the winning amount of Rs 5,000 is to be paid to one, then both invest Rs 2,835 each and Rs 670 is the company’s revenue.
Myth buster: The companies never disclose the investments made by the people who win big amounts. If someone has won Rs 30 lakh, he may have lost some big amount too. The companies just show you the bright side.
Advice: Such competitions do need a lot of research and skill. And though it might start as fun, it can slowly become an addiction. So never go overboard.
Betting or skill: Fantasy cricket is a skill with an equal contribution of luck. Often, people lose by 0.5 points or less, which shows that chance plays a part.