Facebook to add fantasy sports gaming for iOS, Android users

In a bid to offer fantasy gaming, Facebook has announced that it is rolling out Facebook Fantasy Games in the US and Canada on its app for iOS and Android users.

The company said that they are free, simple prediction games that help fans enjoy sports, TV shows and pop culture content together. "Today, we're rolling out Facebook Fantasy Games in the US and Canada on the Facebook app for iOS and Android. Facebook Fantasy Games are free, simple prediction games that help fans enjoy sports, TV shows and pop culture content together," Daniel Fletcher, Product Manager, Entertainment, said in a blogpost on Wednesday. "These games bring the social fun of traditional fantasy sports to simpler formats that are easy to play for people new to prediction games, while still engaging enough for more seasoned players," Fletcher added.

In addition to public leaderboards, players can create their own fantasy league and compete against friends and other fans. Leagues, which can be public or private, will allow members to compare scores to others in the league and provide a place for members to share picks, reactions and comments. "Available today, daily sports prediction game Pick and Play Sports is the first game we are launching, in partnership with Whistle Sports," Fletcher said. Fans will get points for correctly predicting the winner of a big game, the points scored by a top player or specific events that unfold during a match. Players can earn bonus points for building a streak of correct predictions over a series of days. In the upcoming months, Facebook will introduce new games with TV shows like CBS's Survivor and ABC's The Bachelorette, sports leagues like Major League Baseball and LaLiga Santander and premier digital publishers like BuzzFeed.

Each week, fans will select a set of Castaways to be on their Fantasy Survivor team and answer a series of questions about the upcoming episode. Fans will then receive points based on the events that unfold in that week's episode. People on iOS and Android can discover Fantasy Games from the bookmark menu and in News Feed through notifications.