The NFL and Fantasy Football

[RobertWeathers]

The Kommisar comments on DFS, walking the tightrope of not saying anything inflammatory towards the NFL's business partners (networks) biggest advertiser, with a bunch of phony 'we care about the fans' BS:

Yea he's stopping short of coming out vs daily fantasy which is fine. It's appropriate.

But gimme a break with this line.

"It's not about making money..."???

Seriously?

****head either doesn't know his target market or is playing the role of Mother Theresa.

Goody's blood is green...for many reasons.

 

[mgteich]

As I understand it, wagering in a "traditional" fantasy sports league is explicitly carved out in the law as a game of skill, not chance, and perfectly legal. The controversial point is whether daily betting sites like FanDuel and DraftKings really are fantasy sports leagues, or just garden-variety gambling houses dressed up in sports uniforms. (IMO they're just like betting on horse races.)

As long as commentators are addressing who to pick up on the waiver wire, who to play and who to sit, etc., it seems to me that they can legitimately talk fantasy football all they like.

I think that most laws against gambling are decades old, and they are local in nature. Is there a national carve out for fantasy football? Could there be?

Perhaps, the regulations of the NFL chooses to say the fantasy football isn't gambling.

 

[mgteich]

Legalize gambling, weed and prostitution and revenues explode for gov't. Less spent on arresting and incarcerating them too.

Agreed.

In the meantime, these activities are against the law in many jurisdictions, and we would not be surprised when those who break them are arrested, charged or sued.

 

[XLIX]

I think that most laws against gambling are decades old, and they are local in nature. Is there a national carve out for fantasy football? Could there be?

Unless some court decides we have a Constitutional right to play DFS's, then the federal government cannot mandate that DFS's are legal in all 50 states. The federal government can say they are legal under federal law (and they have done that), but that doesn't mean each and every state has to accept it. So what we are seeing right now is a state-by-state move against the DFS's.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

The federal government can say they are legal under federal law (and they have done that)

They have not done that. All the relevant federal law says is that the prohibition on internet gambling sites using electronic payment systems does not extend to online fantasy sports. It doesn't say one way or the other whether fantasy sports are gambling or not or illegal or not. Just that regardless of what they turn out to be, they aren't subject to the payment systems ban (so long as they don't violate any state law).