Last updated on October 23rd, 2025
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Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has grown into a worldwide social phenomenon as far as football fans are concerned. Millions of players each year set up fantasy squads, complete transfers, and contests for glory. But there are constant discussions surrounding FPL, with the main one being whether it is gambling or a game of skill.
Understanding What FPL Actually Is
The basis of Fantasy Premier League is that managers choose real-world footballers in selected squads, and award points based on how they perform in the actual games. This can include all the real-life stats, including:
- Goals
- Assists
- Clean sheets
- Bonus points
It is free to play (in the official version run by the Premier League) and has no financial stakes. In the FPL season 2024/25, more than 11.5M players played (the largest number in the game in 23 years).In that season, players scored a total of 31,291 points, 1,081 goals, 978 assists, 2,401 bonus points scored, and 26.6 million chips played. For those who don’t know, chips are special boosts like Wildcard, Triple Captain, among the userbase.
So, the scale is certainly large. We also mention how you need to choose players based on strategy, consider budget restraints, transfers made each week, captain selection, and chips being used.
The Legal Definition Of Gambling
To understand whether FPL is gambling, it is useful to look at its legal definition. In general terms, gambling involves:
- Putting at stake something of value (usually money).
- An outcome that is at least partially based on luck.
- The main goal is to win a prize or something of value.
When these three essentials are present, it is usually termed gambling.
In the standard Fantasy Premier League, there’s no entry fee or real money prize provided by the Premier League itself, which means one of the criteria (staking funds) isn’t met.
However, in cash leagues where you have to pay to enter and compete for the pot, the situation becomes less clear. It’s not exactly identical to online gambling sites, where users wager real money on unpredictable outcomes to get a potential reward. Online slots, video poker, and other table games use RNG or seed numbers to solve a formula, and the result is mapped as an outcome displayed on the screen. In FPL, there are several factors that determine an outcome, but a skillful math student or coder can figure out what that outcome will be.
The Skill Factor in FPL
One of the strongest points against FPL being gambling lies in the fact that it does involve a great deal of skill. A study on fantasy sports has concluded that “skill prevailed over chance nearly 70% of the time” in the contests examined. In fact, success in FPL depends on several factors that go far beyond luck, such as:
- Use of Statistics. You need to have the knowledge of the various players, statistics, fixture difficulties, and form.
- Strategic Positioning. If you are using chips effectively.
- Timely Entry and Discipline. You need to know just when to take hits, bench players, or change captains.
- Soccer Knowledge. The most obvious one is to have great predictions of players’ performance based on their training, suspensions, and squad dynamics.
Luck has its part, of course. Players’ injuries, decisions of referees, and unexpected red cards can change the outcome. But long-term success in FPL favors the more skilled players. The consistency of the top-ranked managers across multiple seasons highlights this point very clearly.
When FPL Crosses into Gambling Territory
While the official Fantasy Premier League is free to play, there are some third-party platforms and private leagues that introduce money-based elements. If monetary prizes are given or if any entry fee is charged, FPL can look like a form of Fantasy sports betting, similar to what’s currently popular in the USA.
In such cases, the legal classification depends upon the jurisdiction. For example, in some countries, fantasy sport competitions are classed as skill-based, exempting them from gambling laws. In other countries, they are defined as gambling because of monetary stakes and uncertain outcomes.
Final Verdict
Then, is FPL gambling? Not in its official and F2P form. It’s a competition of strategy, insight, and long-term planning. It is a game of skill that rewards soccer intelligence rather than pure luck.
That said, players involved in money leagues must consider their local gambling laws and how they set this up around the game. Whether for pride or profit, FPL is clearly the main way to connect with the Premier League, provided it is done intelligently.
