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Fantasy Sports Trade Association

Fantasy Sports Trade Association
FSTA-Logo.png
Official logo
Abbreviation FSTA
Legal status Trade Association
Headquarters Madison, Wisconsin
Region served
International
Membership
over 200 companies
President
Paul Charchian
Staff
1
Volunteers
17
Website http://www.fsta.org

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) is a Madison, Wisconsin-based trade group representing the fantasy sports industry, listing over 200 member companies on its web site as of January 2017. Members range from small startups to large media corporations. FSTA was founded in 1998 and provides demographic data, annual conferences and collective action including lobbying to support the growth of fantasy sports leagues.

In 1997, CDM Fantasy Sports, a St. Louis, MO-based fantasy sports company invited competitors Sportsline, Prime Sports Interactive, Sports Buff Fantasy Sports, and Sporting News to St. Louis to discuss pending legislation that could severely limit the growth of the fantasy sports industry. Over the next year, the companies communicated without an official organization and tracked the legislation. In 1998, during a fantasy sports conference in Las Vegas hosted by Fantasy Insights, a meeting was organized to again discuss pending legislation and several other topics related to the industry. The representatives from CDM, Fantasy Insights, EA Sports, The Sporting News, and USFANS decided that it was time to create an official organization to help promote fantasy sports, and the Fantasy Sports Trade Association was born. Carl Foster was president from 1999 to 2002. Greg Ambrosius was president from 2003 to 2006. Jeff Thomas was the president from 2006-2008. Paul Charchian took the helm in 2009, and remains the current president.

It's estimated by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association that over 57 million people in the U.S. and Canada played fantasy sports in 2015. Participation has grown over the years, though USA participation for 2015 is consistent with the past few readings. However, participation is up in Canada mostly due to hockey.

A study conducted by the FSTA in 2016 showed 57.4 million people in the U.S. with the 2011 FSTA Study showing 35.9 million people in Canada played fantasy sports. Participation has grown over 60 percent the past four years with 20 percent of males in the U.S. playing fantasy sports. That figure is up significantly from a 2006 FSTA study that estimated 19.4 million people in the U.S. and Canada played fantasy sports and 34.5 million people ever played fantasy sports. A 2006 study showed 22 percent of U.S. adult males 18 to 49 years old, with Internet access, play fantasy sports. Fantasy sports is estimated to have a $3–$4 billion annual economic impact across the sports industry.

The FSTA was the first organization to compile demographic surveys of the fantasy sports market starting in 1999. The first survey showed 29.6 million people age 18 and older play fantasy games, but that figure was reduced in later years when it was determined the survey also included people who play NCAA bracket pools, which are not the same as fantasy sports where individual players are picked.


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