Fantasy Football (Soccer) Playing and Internet Addiction Among Online Fantasy Football Participants: A Descriptive Survey Study

The aim of the present study was to ascertain the levels of possible internet addiction within fantasy football (FF) (soccer) participants and the characteristics of the participants within this group. An online survey of questions regarding characteristics of regular FF participants and consumption of FF-related content was posted on FF internet forums (Reddit and Boards.ie). Self-selecting participants (N = 684) completed the survey containing questions on FF (time spent during weekdays/weekend on FF, gambling on FF, devices used to access FF), internet use (time spent on internet on weekdays/weekends) and an internet addiction screening questionnaire (Chen Internet Addiction Scale). Subgroup analysis was performed on each variable by nationality (Irish, UK and worldwide). Of the 684 participants, 17.5% (diagnostic) and 24.9% (screening) participants met criteria for internet addiction, above the expected level in the general population. The most frequent time spent on FF during weekdays was 30-60 min per day (32.2%) and 1-2 h per day on weekends (29.1%). Over half of participants (50.6%) gambled on FF with the majority (61.3%) gambling once per year and 74.3% of participants gambling less than euro50 per year on FF. Avid FF participants demonstrated an increased likelihood of internet addiction compared prevalence rates of previous epidemiological studies among different cohorts. This may be due to FF itself and the increased consumption of FF-related content. Further large-scale nationally representative studies are required to compare regular and casual participants of FF in relation to possible internet addiction.

Automated summary

This study investigated the levels of internet addiction among fantasy football (FF) participants and their characteristics. The results showed that a higher percentage of participants met the criteria for internet addiction compared to the general population. The study also found that most participants spent a moderate amount of time on FF each day and a significant portion engaged in gambling on FF.