IL attorney general says fantasy sports contests are ‘gambling’

“In light of the opinion, we expect that both FanDuel and DraftKings will amend their Terms of Use to include IL as an additional state whose residents are not eligible to participate in contests unless and until the Illinoise General Assembly passes legislation specifically exempting daily fantasy sports contests”, she wrote.

Daily fantasy sports betting, such as leagues like FanDuel and DraftKings, is illegal under IL law, Attorney General Lisa Madigan has said.

The Illinois Attorney General ruled Wednesday that daily fantasy sports are illegal under state law. The games are banned in NY as the parties sort through a messy litigation process. He said this opinion gives “clarity” to the discussion, and will continue to work on the legislation.

FanDuel and DraftKings were not immediately available for comment. Boston-based DraftKings said in October that Zalewski’s approach, requiring players to be 18 and allowing sites to review players for child support or tax debts, was “reasonable and measured”.

In November, New York’s attorney general also determined both sports sites to be illegal gambling and ordered them to cease operations in the state.

Traditional fantasy games are exempted because it’s played over a period of time, whereas daily fantasy games take place in a single day or just a week.