Florida files fantasy sports bill
A State Representative filed a measure to clarify that fantasy sports are not considered a gambling activity.
US.- Jason Brodeur, State Representative from Florida, filed the measure last week to construe that daily fantasy sports are not a gambling activity under current Florida laws. HB 149 is seeking to spare fantasy games from regulation by the entity that supervises gambling in the state.
The measure is vague when it comes to fantasy sports contests as a form of gambling. “The millions of Floridians who play fantasy games deserve to know that what they’re doing is not a crime. The question was never answered,” said Brodeur. The bill establishes that players can draft records of actual athletes while avoiding fantasy sports from gambling laws since the activity is a game of skill and is not based purely on luck.
Last year, Florida’s Business & Professional Subcommittee passed a bill to regulate Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) allowing companies to offer their services in the state. HB 707 was introduced by Republicans Matt Gaetz and Ritch Workman, but it was later stopped after the Seminole Tribe case, where officials thought that both blackjack and fantasy sports would expand gambling in the state.
Spokesman for DraftKings and FanDuel, Marc La Vorgna, said: “The companies look forward to working with Rep. Brodeur during the upcoming legislative session and, on behalf of the 3 million Floridians who love fantasy sports and want to keep their favorite pastime legal, we thank him for his support of fantasy sports.”
