US Congress ponders over DFS

The Congress is considering if there is ‘federal role to play’ regarding Daily Fantasy Sports.

US.- The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade officially announced a hearing to look into daily fantasy sports (DFS) next week.

The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas) issued a press release about the hearing entitled “Daily Fantasy Sports: Issues and Perspectives.”  Burges expressed: “The issue of daily fantasy sports leagues has been at the forefront of the news over the last few years. The committee is providing a forum for all stakeholders to discuss the many aspects of this complicated issue.”

To testify it seems very likely that DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles will be asked to speak in front of the subcommittee, as representatives of the two largest DFS sites.

Any debate about DFS is expected to involve the two main federal laws in play — the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. The former carves out legality for paid-entry fantasy sports at the federal level, as long as operators abide by state laws. The latter prohibits sports wagering in most states outside of Nevada.

Even though it seems unlikely that the Congress or the federal government would be moved to any sort of immediate action as a result of this hearing, the release does mention that the subcommittee intends to “consider whether there is a federal role to play” in DFS.