FlowPlay Kicks Off Casual Fantasy Sports Gaming with Launch of 5 Card Draft

SEATTLE, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- FlowPlay, a leader in virtual world games and technology, today announced the launch of 5 Card Draft – an online multiplayer card game and fantasy football experience. Now available within FlowPlay's social casino Vegas World, 5 Card Draft is the first-ever casual game to merge poker gameplay with fantasy sports drafting mechanics. In addition to the launch, FlowPlay also announced findings from a recent survey of Vegas World players, which examined casual gamers' interest in fantasy sports. The survey found that one third of casual gamers – defined in the survey as users who are "extremely interested" in casual games – are interested in online fantasy sports, and more than 50 percent expressed heightened interest if real money betting was not required.

According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, 56.8 million people will play fantasy sports this year in the United States and Canada, with each player spending an average of $465 on fantasy sports activities annually. While most of those players engage in season-long fantasy, daily fantasy offerings such as FanDuel and DraftKings have rapidly increased general interest in online, daily fantasy sports. With 5 Card Draft, FlowPlay is working to close the gap between daily fantasy sports experiences and the widely established and legal casual games industry. With millions of fantasy sports players, and more than one-third of the U.S. population classifying themselves as causal gamers (eMarketer), the market opportunity is significant.

Bringing the fun of poker and fantasy with friends, 5 Card Draft randomly selects five cards for up to five players in any given game. Each card has a different professional football player and a hand will always include a quarterback, kicker, running back, and two wide receivers. Those players are selected from any of the 32 football teams, with two trades allowed per hand. Points are earned based on each player's stats from the randomly determined year and week of the season for that round. The winner is then determined at the end of six rounds.

To better understand the demand for a casual fantasy sports game, FlowPlay surveyed more than 4,700 Vegas World players on their casual game playing habits and interest in fantasy sports. The findings reveal that 57 percent of the most dedicated casual gamers would be more inclined to play fantasy sports if real money was not involved. Further, users that classified themselves as fantasy sports players – 79 percent – said they would also engage more if there was an option to do so without using real money.

Additional statistics from the survey include:

• 76 percent of fantasy players are also interested in casual games, with 56 percent of non-fantasy sports players interested in sports in general.
• More than one-third (37 percent) of respondents who have previously played fantasy sports still feel uncomfortable spending money on online fantasy sports.
• 71 percent of all respondents reported that they would be more inclined to engage with fantasy sports if they combined elements of casual gaming.
• Over three-quarters (76 percent) of fantasy players would be more inclined to play a casual fantasy sports game if it included multiplayer functionality. 

"With the current landscape of the fantasy sports market, millions of sports enthusiasts have largely been alienated from engaging in fantasy sports due to the complexity and time required to play the existing products," said Derrick Morton, CEO of FlowPlay. "5 Card Draft is the first of several products that we'll be launching in the coming months that aim to intersect casual games and fantasy sports. With the goal of connecting with unreached audiences, our fantasy sports games will include a range of gameplay options and feature sports beyond football."

In addition to FlowPlay's flagship social casino Vegas World, the company also developed the industry's first social casino white-label product. With deep experience working with major brands and developers, FlowPlay now also offers white-label options to businesses interested in creating casual fantasy sports games.

The full survey findings are available upon request.

About FlowPlay

FlowPlay, a developer of virtual environment and game technologies, make immersive worlds and massive multiplayer games possible with no software required beyond a basic browser. FlowPlay's first consumer product, ourWorld, is played by over 35 million players and is one of the most popular teen virtual worlds. Vegas World, FlowPlay's flagship social casino MMORPG, achieves industry-leading player monetization rates. In November 2013, FlowPlay introduced its social casino white-label platform, allowing businesses from any industry to quickly and easily bring their own uniquely branded social casino games to market. FlowPlay was founded in 2006 and is primarily funded by Intel Capital and the creators of Skype. For more information on FlowPlay, contact [email protected].

PR Contact
Michelle Isacson
Barokas PR for FlowPlay
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