Fantasy sports could become legal in Florida

TALLAHASSEE | While officials in some other states try to shut down the games, Florida legislators are speedily moving measures that would shield the daily fantasy sports industry from the state’s gambling laws.

Pat Loontjer, executive director of the Omaha-based Gambling with the Good Life, said the industry represents a new form of gambling that the state should ban.

The bill will be heard on the state assembly floor on Wednesday; if it passes, it’ll move on to the state senate.

“I think it’s important to clarify that these games of skill are allowed and not viewed as gambling”, Vorpagel wrote. It bars kids under 18 from playing and says contest operators and real-world players can’t participate in the fantasy league or share confidential information.

“State after state, the game is being found to be illegal”, Levine said.

On fantasy sports sites, a player picks out a fantasy team and earns points on how well the athletes perform, similar to the casual, legal games people play with friends and family. They also would have to pay an annual regulatory fee. This suit is the latest in a slew of activity against the two companies, with over 30 lawsuits having been filed against the two in more than ten different states.

Because the games are considered gambling by the Seminole Tribe, Bradley said he expects the debate over the daily fantasy sports to be “woven into” the Legislature’s discussions over the compact with the tribe.

“Fantasy sports has been an important tool used…to deepen connections and engagement with our fans”, Clippers Vice President Pete Thuresson said in a letter to lawmakers.

But the way it’s evolved into a daily operation “brings to account more chance and it feels more like gaming”, Bradley said.

A New York Times magazine writer said earlier this month that a “chill has hit the D.F.S. (daily fantasy sports) industry”, noting that prize pools “have been steadily declining”.

Levine said there is nothing inherently wrong with fantasy sports betting. In layman’s terms, because participants are essentially putting money on the result of players’ performance that day or night, the way the sites operate is, in fact, illegal.