Massachusetts Reviewing Daily Fantasy Sports for Legality
Friday September 18,2015 : MASSACHUSETTS A.G. REVIEWING DAILY FANTASY SPORTS
"This is a new industry. It’s something that we’re reviewing," says AG Maura Healey.
Boston-based daily fantasy sports provider DraftKings is under the microscope of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who confirmed Thursday that she is reviewing the legal position of the big-spending, high visibility company.
Approached for comment by local media, Healey said: “The point is this: This is a new industry. It’s something that we’re reviewing, and we’ll learn more about it.”
Healey's review follows the news earlier this week that Congressman Frank Pallone has requested that the House Energy and Commerce Committee hold a hearing on the legality of fantasy sports, which he claims has attracted a national audience of around 57 million players.
DraftKings continues to assert that it is operating its skill driven games legally in terms of US and Canadian laws.
Peter Schoenke, chairman of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, told the Boston Globe newspaper in a statement:
“These are skill-based games that match sports fans against each other in a contest of sports knowledge and strategy that is fundamentally different from wagering on the performance of an individual player or the outcome of a particular game.”
In related news, state lawmakers this week heard testimony on proposals calling for the Massachusetts Lottery to launch online games and authorising the Lottery to run a website featuring online skill games, including fantasy sports and poker.
While Lottery convenience store vendors expressed concerns that online games would pull customers away from their shops, state Sen. Michael Rush said during the hearing that he felt his Bill S 191 took into account the concerns from store owners and other stakeholders, while also allowing the state to capture some of the millions of dollars spent annually on fantasy sports and other skill games.
“The future of gaming is before us, and it’s changing very, very quickly,” Rush said. “It’s important that we as the commonwealth grasp it, enhance the technology and move with it.”
