Fantasy sports deemed act of gambling, according to state of Nevada

Photo+provided+by+dailyfantasywinners.com.

Photo provided by dailyfantasywinners.com.

By Sonny Mulpuri, Intern

Fantasy sports grabbed the attention of many fans, taking the Internet by storm by involving money through websites like FanDuel and DraftKings. However, on Thursday Oct. 15, Nevada regulators ordered that all daily fantasy sports sites halt their continuation until they obtain state gambling licenses.

These sites boomed in the sports industry, but they have started to be investigated by state governments for corruption. According to the New York Times, Nevada regulators said that “playing daily fantasy sports should be considered gambling, not a game of skill.”

American Express predicts 74.7 million Americans plan to participate in fantasy football this year. Photo provided by www.kake.com.
American Express predicts 74.7 million Americans plan to participate in fantasy football this year. Photo provided by www.kake.com.

Ironic because of Nevada’s gambling prominence in their grand casinos, this order hurts the online businesses as they attract younger generations through the Internet. Junior Jimmy Shanley has been playing in fantasy football leagues with his friends for four years.

For DraftKings it’s sports gambling, so they have the right to ban it if they want to. For all normal leagues not involving money, it should be allowed because a lot of people play it for fun,” Shanley said.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel have expressed their disapproval of Nevada’s decision.

“This decision deprives these fans of a product that has been embraced broadly by the sports community, including professional sports teams, leagues and media partners,” Justin Sacco, director of communications for FanDuel, said in a press release.

Nevada isn’t the first state that halted daily fantasy sports play, but it’s the most relevant state in the sports community to do so, prompting a new wave of investigations against the betting nature of fantasy sports. New Jersey, New York, Michigan, California, and Mississippi are currently looking into sites like FanDuel and DraftKings and could deal a devastating blow to the billion-dollar industry.