Draftstars
Draftstars is a daily fantasy sports platform that enables individual sports fans, primarily in India, to build salary-capped player lineups and compete for cash prize pools across web and Android. It originated as part of Australia's PlayUp and was acquired by NextBet in February 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Draftstars does
Draftstars is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) platform with two operating surfaces: a core Draftstars brand that originated inside Australian betting operator PlayUp, and a Draftstars India sub-brand serving the Indian market. The platform enables users to construct player lineups within a salary-cap constraint and enter contests for cash prize pools, with scoring driven by real-world athlete performance and surfaced through live leaderboards. Underlying technology is a web-based fantasy lobby (play.draftstars.in) paired with an Android application distributed both via Google Play and via direct APK download from an AWS S3 bucket in the ap-south-1 region, the latter a deliberate work-around for restrictions that complicate real-money gaming apps in mainstream stores. Contest discovery is handled through a sport-type filter and contest-type selector, and the product lineup spans the core Draftstars platform (Australia), Draftstars India, and the Draftstars Android App.
The business model is a transaction-fee revenue stream: players pay entry fees to enter contests, and the platform retains a take-rate (rake) from the entry-fee pool before prizes are paid out. Distribution is product-led and self-serve — users sign up via web or mobile, create lineups, and enter contests independently, with social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) used as top-of-funnel awareness channels. The customer base is composed of individual sports fans in India, with cricket as the anchor vertical. On 2026-02-19, Draftstars was acquired by NextBet as part of NextBet's purchase of PlayUp, positioning Draftstars inside a consolidated Australian betting portfolio that also includes CrossBet; existing accounts and balances are slated for migration into the NextBet platform.
Draftstars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Draftstars
- Website
- https://draftstars.in
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Draftstars is a daily fantasy sports platform that enables individual sports fans, primarily in India, to build salary-capped player lineups and compete for cash prize pools across web and Android. It originated as part of Australia's PlayUp and was acquired by NextBet in February 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Draftstars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Daily Fantasy Sports
- NAICS
- Gambling Industries (7132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) Operators (MPAEAHAA)
Keywords
Where Draftstars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Draftstars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Fantasy Contest Entry Fees: Users pay entry fees to participate in fantasy sports contests with prize pools. The platform takes a take-rate or commission from the total entry fees collected.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Draftstars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Draftstars operates a daily fantasy sports platform where users sign up, create player lineups within a salary cap, and compete in contests for cash prize pools. Real-world athlete performance drives real-time point accumulation and live leaderboards. The India-focused platform emphasizes fantasy cricket and other sports, accessible via web browser and Android mobile application.
Product overview
Draftstars is a daily fantasy sports platform comprising multiple products: the core Draftstars platform (operated in Australia following acquisition by NextBet) enables users to build player lineups within salary caps and compete for prize pools based on real-world performance. Draftstars India serves the Indian market with cricket and other sports contests. The Draftstars Android App provides mobile access to the platform's features including the lobby, contest filtering, lineup creation, live leaderboards, and cash prize participation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Draftstars Daily fantasy sports platform where users create player lineups within a salary cap and compete against other sports fans for prize pools based on real-life athlete performance.
- Draftstars India India-focused version of the Draftstars platform providing fantasy cricket and other sports contests with cash prizes, accessed via web and mobile.
- Draftstars Android App Android mobile application for Draftstars India allowing users to access fantasy sports contests, create lineups, and participate in prize competitions directly from mobile devices, distributed via direct APK download and Google Play.
Companies that use Draftstars
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Draftstars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Draftstars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Draftstars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- My11Circle: Fantasy sports platform owned by Games24x7, offering paid fantasy cricket and other sports contests to Indian users. Competes head-to-head with Draftstars India on cricket lineups, prize pools, and user acquisition.
- Vision11: India-based DFS platform offering fantasy cricket, football, and kabaddi contests. Direct competitor to Draftstars in the Indian paid-fantasy sports market with similar contest formats.
- Dream11: India's dominant DFS operator with a primary focus on fantasy cricket contests (IPL, international cricket). Directly comparable to Draftstars in product (salary-cap lineups, cash contests) and target market (Indian sports fans), but at vastly greater scale and brand recognition.
- BalleBaazi: Fantasy cricket-focused DFS platform operating in India with salary-cap and prediction-based contests. Overlaps with Draftstars India on cricket-first fantasy product offering.
- Howzat: Games24x7's flagship DFS brand in India focused on fantasy cricket with salary-cap contests. Overlaps directly with Draftstars on product mechanics, sport coverage, and Indian consumer audience.
Others
- PlayUp: Former parent company of Draftstars and Australian sports betting operator also acquired by NextBet. Comparable as a related/legacy ecosystem player within the same NextBet consolidation strategy.
Broad incumbents
- FanDuel: US-based DFS and sports betting incumbent with salary-cap lineup contests across major sports. Comparable in product model to Draftstars' core DFS mechanic, although not a direct geographic competitor.
- DraftKings: Large publicly listed US DFS and sports betting operator. Directly comparable to Draftstars in DFS mechanics (salary cap, lineup building, real-money contests), though operates at vastly greater scale and breadth across multiple sports.
Emerging players
- MPL (Mobile Premier League): Indian mobile gaming and fantasy sports super-app featuring DFS contests alongside casual games. Comparable as a paid fantasy competitor in India, with broader gaming portfolio and stronger funding.
- Fan2Play: Indian DFS platform offering second-chance and pick'em style fantasy contests across cricket, football, and kabaddi. Adjacent competitor to Draftstars with overlapping Indian fantasy sports audience.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Draftstars social profiles
Digital presenceDraftstars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Draftstars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Draftstars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Draftstars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Draftstars
What does Draftstars do?
Draftstars operates a daily fantasy sports platform where users sign up, create player lineups within a salary cap, and compete in contests for cash prize pools. Real-world athlete performance drives real-time point accumulation and live leaderboards. The India-focused platform emphasizes fantasy cricket and other sports, accessible via web browser and Android mobile application.
Is Draftstars a public or private company?
Draftstars is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Draftstars founded?
Draftstars was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Draftstars based?
Draftstars is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Draftstars make money?
One revenue line is on record: fantasy Contest Entry Fees.
Who are Draftstars's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are My11Circle, Vision11, Dream11, BalleBaazi and Howzat. PlayUp is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are FanDuel and DraftKings. Emerging players are MPL (Mobile Premier League) and Fan2Play.
Does Draftstars have an API?
No public API is recorded for Draftstars.
What industry is Draftstars in?
Draftstars's product category is Daily Fantasy Sports. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEAHAA, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) Operators. Its NAICS code is 7132.