Globo Group will launch a new type of fantasy game, Cartola Express, a skill-based competition with cash prizes.

FanDuel, part of Flutter Entertainment and Grupo Globo, announced a new multi-year agreement that will see FanDuel provide daily fantasy sports services (DFS) for Grupo Globo's Cartola FC brand. FanDuel will power an extension of the current Cartola FC product package, which will include the launch of a paid daily fantasy sports platform in Brazil, Cartola Express.

In this new activity, DFS Entretenimento will be responsible for organizing the competitions and collecting taxes, including withholding tax on the winners' prizes. Using the 'Cartola' brand licensed by Globo, in Cartola Express, each participant will assemble their team with players from the Brazilian Championship to compete in one of the many competition formats, which can extend for the entire round or just the 90 minutes of a match.

To participate, you need knowledge and analysis to select the athletes with the best chances of scoring in each game, according to Cartola FC's criteria. The game will enter a testing phase in November, for invited players only, and is scheduled for an official public launch at the beginning of the 2022 Brasileirão season.

– Cartola Express will test participants' ability to assemble teams with the rosters of the teams playing in the Brazilian Championship. They will compete against each other, and the winner will receive a cash prize. The daily fantasy sports market is growing worldwide, and Cartola Express aims to become a benchmark in this segment in Brazil. In addition to testing and rewarding the skill of Brazilian participants, Cartola Express has great potential to achieve a strong position in the eSports segment as well – explains Newton Filho, former executive in the Digital Products and Services area at Globo and now CEO of DFS Entretenimento.

DFS Entretenimento will leverage the expertise of FanDuel, a sports-tech company within the Flutter Group with over 10 years of experience operating fantasy sports and a market leader in the United States, which will provide the technological platform for the tournaments.

– Cartola FC gives millions of users in Brazil the chance to come together and test their knowledge of the Brasileirão, one of the biggest and most exciting football competitions in the world. We are proud to work with Cartola Express and offer the benefits of FanDuel's experience to help build the leading daily fantasy sports platform in Brazil – said Amy Howe, CEO of FanDuel.

Stone, a Brazilian fintech company specializing in payment solutions, will be responsible for the custody and clearing of funds. Meanwhile, idwall, a leading startup in the anti-fraud digital authentication market, will handle the entire identity verification process for participants, ensuring the security of the gaming environment.

Cartola Express joins the Cartola portfolio of options. Created in 2005, the free version of Cartola FC has become the world's largest fantasy football game, with over 17 million downloads and more than 10 million active teams. The PRO version was launched in 2016 and has over 435 subscribers who compete for prizes each round and at the end of the entire season.