House Speaker Joe Souki and State Senator Gil Keith-Agaran have introduced bills to legalize fantasy sports betting with some strings attached.
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Negron’s proposal, which would create an Office of Amusements to oversee the games, would “make sure we’re not exposing someone who is engaged in fantasy sports contests to breaking the law”. The bill, AB1437, would also require operators to undergo background checks, pay taxes on their profits and report players’ winnings to the state so they can be taxed.
Marc Dunbar, a lawyer representing the Stronach Group, which owns Gulfstream Park, said daily fantasy sports games is a $4 billion business that operates in the same sphere as Stronach’s online wagering platform.
His bill is partly in response to a 1991 opinion by then-Attorney General Bob Butterworth used by opponents that “operation of a fantasy sports league” violated state gambling law. Nevada has banned daily fantasy games while other states, including NY, are considering their legality.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit in December to stop fantasy websites FanDuel and DraftKings from operating in that state, alleging the companies are operating illegal gambling operations.
Fan Duel attorney Scott Ward says fantasy sports is the new national pastime with more than one million Hoosiers participating.
The bill received a 15-0 unanimous vote from the Assembly’s Committee on Appropriations last week and is slated for the state assembly floor vote on Wednesday.
“Obviously, the companies offer (college sports games) now and they’d like to continue offering it, but we understand the states are making policy decisions”, Ward said after the hearing.
A class-action suit was filed in Portland against Fanduel and Draftkings. “If you know the sports and you know how the game is played, you can make money off people who say, ‘Let me throw 30 bucks in and try this out'”. State Rep. Tyler Vorpagel (R-Plymouth), a sponsor of the measure, argues it’s meant to provide more accountability for the industry and protect players.
“Where I think the question changes is when you get into these daily sports where things are happening quickly”.
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The proposed law to start a lottery could be controversial, he said, but he expects the public to be more accepting of the law to regulate fantasy sports sites.
