New state agency to regulate fantasy sports in Tennessee

The General Assembly passed a law last session which legalised fantasy sports betting in Tennessee; now a state agency has a new name and new rules to handle the new legislation.

US.- After the General Assembly passed a law during its last session to legalise and regulates fantasy sports betting in Tennessee, a state agency made some changes to handle the new measure.

The state Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming, housed in Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office, will be known from now on as the Division of Charitable Solicitations, Fantasy Sports and Gaming.

The Fantasy Sports Act of 2016, lobbied by DraftKings and FanDuel, daily fantasy sports operators, legalised the companies’ existing gambling activities within the state. Under the new law fantasy sports operators are required to obtain a license with the division. The license requirement applies to all fantasy sports websites which offer daily and season-long contests that charge players an entry fee to assemble imaginary teams and subsequently offer prizes as a result of the outcome of those games.

“Tennessee is one of the first states to enact legislation specifically addressing fantasy sports contests,” said Hargett in a news release. “We look forward to ensuring operators follow the law to offer a new level of consumer protection for Tennesseans who choose to play these online games.”