Spin The Fantasy Sports Wheel: Is This Misleading Or Not?
We could all see the continued gamblification (I don’t think that’s a real word) of fantasy sports coming from a mile away. The latest iteration of that is Boom Fantasy’s Pick & Spin game.
I am on record as saying all the fantasy vs. the house/fantasy parlay apps are gambling, albeit possibly legal gambling taking place outside of gambling laws. In case you were thinking about tuning out, this is not a post about whether it’s gambling. Adding a “spinning wheel” element to a parlay clearly doesn’t make it more of a game of skill. But I digress.
What this post is about is transparency. Here’s the game:
You make predictions on two or more player performances (ie over or under points or touchdowns scored), just like most fantasy parlay apps, Boom included. Then, you spin a wheel for a multiplier on your entry/bet. Here are some screenshots from the game’s explainer to give you a better idea of the product:
Here is my issue with the game. The odds of spinning each multiplier are made clear in the table, if you take the time to read it. You’ll spin 2x about 62% of the time. But take a closer look at the wheel, and the visual implies you will spin 2x only about 25% of the time. It takes up the same space on the wheel as 3.5x, which you will spin 33% of the time.
This doesn’t sit well with me. If you’re doing a spinning wheel for this game, I think there are two transparent ways to do it:
Every space on the wheel is the same size, and refer people to the multiplier table; no reasonable person would expect 2x and 500x to have the same odds.
Make the wheel at least directionally correct in terms of a user’s chances, which would mean you would include far more spaces for 2x and 3.5x than anything else, as they account for 95% of outcomes.
What we get with this wheel is something in the middle that isn’t at all transparent. To be clear, I do think there is some responsibility for the user to understand what they are doing when they play Pick & Spin; they should read the game rules and go into it with eyes open. But I think there’s a responsibility for an operator to be more upfront with a user as well. It’s clear the psychology of this wheel is that some users will believe that 2x is less likely to hit than it will in reality. I can’t speak to the actual intent of the design of the wheel. Here is an executive from Boom about the logistics of the game:
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You might ask, “Wait, this is paid-entry fantasy sports, didn’t someone approve it?” Well, this game in particular exists almost entirely in states where the fantasy parlay industry operates using game of skill laws. By my count, I believe the product is live in three states with fantasy sports laws, and those three have no meaningful regulation in them.
Which leads me to this: Do you think this wheel design would be approved by a sports betting regulator? A daily fantasy sports regulator? I highly doubt it.
Yes, much of the gambling industry is built on the gambler believing they have a chance to win, and in some cases a better chance to win than they actually have. But that’s the rub, this isn’t presented a gambling game; it’s a fantasy sports game and a game of skill. You could definitely question if this wheel is appropriate for a gambling game, too.
Anyway, I am curious to hear opinions from the industry on this. Are you OK with this wheel design and I am way off base, and the multiplier table is enough? Is it problematic? Comment here, email me, or find my post on LinkedIn or Twitter about this topic and respond there.
The larger question is when does someone push the envelope too far in fantasy sports? Because this product won’t be the end of it.
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