Vermont’s Attorney General deems Daily Fantasy Sports illegal gambling

Vermont AG’s John Treadwell considers DFS activities “fall within the coverage of Vermont’s gambling statutes.”

US.- Following the steps of New York, Illinois and Nevada, Vermont’s AG’s criminal division chief John Treadwell urged the state Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee to refrain from approving Sen. Kevin Mullin’s S 223.

The bill aims to regulate and establish certain consumer protections on the Daily Fantasy Spots (DFS) sector. According to Treadwell the S 223 “takes one variety of illegal, for-profit gambling and makes it legal without any consideration for why this particular one is being chosen and others are not.”

On its part, Mullin asked why the AG’s office had not yet prosecute DFS operators or players,  to which Treadwell replied gambling had “not been an enforcement priority” for the state’s legal authorities. The AG also stated that there is no reason why DFS should receive an special treatment nor be singled out as “exalting one version of gambling above others does not seem appropriate.”