Steve Burns
WMAL.com
RICHMOND — (WMAL) While some states like New York and Nevada are outright banning sites like Draft Kings and Fan Duel, Del. Marcus Simon, D-Falls Church, is filing a bill that would clearly define their business and allow it within certain parameters.
“(The bill) makes clear that fantasy sports is legal, but within some limits,” he told WMAL. “Virginia residents can have some confidence when they’re playing these games online that it’s a fair game that’s played within certain rules.”
States that have banned the sites rest their arguments on it being a game of chance, thus making it online gambling and illegal. Simon sees it differently.
“It’s not a pure game of chance. Players have an opportunity to select their teams, do research. Better players and more educated players, in theory, have a better chance to win, and that makes it a game of skill.”
His bill sets certain parameters, including only allowing those 18 and older to play, making sure the sites’ operating revenues stay separate from money players contribute, and disallowing any computerized scripts that would allow players to play infinite amounts of combinations and essentially “game” the system.
“It also requires fantasy sports operators to check for tax liens and to check for back child support payments before they make large payouts,” to discourage players from making daily sports betting a living, he said.
Draft Kings and Fan Duel have sent lobbyists to Richmond, Simon said, but his bill was not directly inspired by them. “They came to me after my bill was filed. My bill was my own initiative. It wasn’t at their request, but once they found out about it they definitely expressed a desire to work with me on it.”
He said the main impetus of the bill was watching sports with his 10-year-old son, and when his son got curious about the numerous advertisements he was seeing for sports betting, something had to be done.
“When it’s all about the money and payouts, that does look and sound a lot like gambling,” Simon said. “Hopefully the emphasis is going to be more on how fun it is, how you can test your skills and knowledge against other folks.”
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