Saturday, August 29, 2015

Is Wagering on Fantasy Sports Gambling?

I saw this question about 10 days ago on LinkedIn. I did not read the response because I knew that I would weigh in on this. I like to maintain my objectivity when I write. I decided that I would compare betting on a football team like the Eagles to wagering on a fantasy team of my choosing.

When I bet the Eagles I take in consideration the line or points spread, homefield and weather. I
also chart the recent history between the Eagles and their opponent. If I can find more pluses to take the Birds then I put my money on Philly. If I can't ,then I don't wager on the game. If all roads and factors point to the opponent, I considered going the other way.
 


Some fans feel this is a form of blasphemy. No way can you bet against your team. A fan and a bettor are two different people. Fans are ride or die. Bettors are live to die another day. Read this paragraph again and you'll get it!
Now when I wagering on a fantasy team, I get to pick this imaginary lineup that would never play together against someone else's dream team of the week or day. I look at homefield, opponent and weather. I considered past individual performances. I also look at any significant injury. The injury variable is incorporated into the spread or line.
So the factors that go into picking a NFL team to wager on are the same as what you look for in betting on a fantasy team. So why is Fantasy a skill proposition and picking a team (Eagles) a gamble? The answer is not Sam Bradford.
The only difference is the point spread. My NFL team must win by more than the number designated or I will lose. My fantasy team just has to win. In a day fantasy league like DraftKingsFanDuel or Yahoo, my opponent and I may have some of the same players on our team.
Wanna Play??

Picking that secondary guy to go with your elite players will make the difference between winning and losing. There is something to be said for finding value at a price. Finding that value is a skill that is not based on luck. Skill ties more into percentages and analytics.

                                        Webster's definition of gambling is
: to play a game in which you can win or lose money or possessions : to bet money or other valuable things
: to risk losing (an amount of money) in a game or bet
: to risk losing (something valuable or important) in order to do or achieve something.
 
Wagering on Fantasy Sports sounds like gambling to me. And about 33 million other people.

 
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