Yahoo has announced the launch of Yahoo Sport Daily Fantasy in the UK, offering sports fans one-day and one-week fantasy contests for cash prizes.
Available on desktop and via app, Yahoo Sport Daily Fantasy covers all top flight Premier League and Champions League football fixtures, with additional leagues coming soon.
Yahoo Sport Daily Fantasy allows football fans to use genuine knowledge of the game to pick a new squad of 11 players for every match-day. Players can compete in a variety of contests rather than tinker with one or two changes a week and hope they pay off. This enables users to play at any point in the season without being at a disadvantage if they miss a ‘game week’.
There are several types of games players can choose to enter. Group contests are the traditional option, competing against everyone else in the pot, whilst 50/50 and head-to-head contests offer an exciting alternative. A 50/50 contest allows players to get their hands on a share of the winnings by finishing in the top half. Or, if players are looking for more direct competition, head-to-head pits one competitor against another in a straight battle where the most points wins.
A new free-to-enter Yahoo Cup format with cash prizes totalling £25,000 will also offer a more traditional way of playing fantasy, as players’ daily totals are accumulated throughout the rest of the season. Launching on the 4th February, the 10-round competition will see 200 winners win a share of £1,500 each week. In the final week 250 winners will share £10,000 between them, with a top prize of £5,000 up for grabs.
The Yahoo Sport Daily Fantasy football game will also serve as an indispensable companion to users, notifying them of any late injuries or omissions, and giving them the ability to make changes right up until kick-off and see their points total update in real-time.
Whilst the daily fantasy sports sector can be a very serious pursuit for some, Yahoo aims to ease users in, offering beginner-only contests, allowing players to find their feet, playing for small cash prizes or just for practice. However, the game also caters for those who operate at more of an expert level and want to play for bigger prize pots, whilst the free-to-enter Yahoo Cup will pit all abilities together as players bid for cash prizes.
Nigel Clarkson, UK MD, Yahoo said, “For nearly two decades, Yahoo Sports has entertained fans around the world with the most engaging content, news and fantasy experiences. We are thrilled to be launching this new Daily Fantasy game to the UK market, extending the opportunity for fans on this side of the Atlantic to get involved. Fantasy games are already popular in the UK, but with daily play and real money up for grabs with Yahoo Sport Daily Fantasy, there’s even more to play for.”
Josh Holman, Director of International Product, Yahoo adds, “We’ve created a game that we think encompasses everything fans want in a fantasy game. Everyone dreams of creating teams of their favourite players, but this brings in a tactical element too with money on the line, that’s where being able to switch players in and out daily for different games is so important. The different modes of contest also ensure that there is always variety in your game-playing experience.”
Fantasy sports games have been a major part of sport fandom in the US for over 20 years now, with over 57 million people playing fantasy sports in the US and Canada in 2016 according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.