Legislatures in Georgia and Texas came close to legalizing daily fantasy sports, but in the end put it off.
A bill that would have legalized daily fantasy sports in Georgia was approved by the House and reached the full Senate but was not brought up for a vote because supporters weren’t sure there were enough votes to pass it. The measure will be considered again by the Senate when it reconvenes in January.
DraftKings and FanDuel spokesman Marc La Vorgna said, “We had some more work to do, but the bill advanced a long, long way and the progress will not go to waste. It’s a two-year session, so we will build on the work from this year and we get to pick up right where we left off, effectively starting on third base when the legislature comes back into session.”
DraftKings, FanDuel and other DFS sites operate in a gray area in the state. The former state attorney general issued a private memo that DFS probably is illegal in the state; nothing was stated publicly concerning DFS and operators were not asked to cease and desist in the state. Since then, Chris Carr has been elected Georgia attorney general.
DFS measures continue to progress through other legislatures. The Arkansas Senate recently approved a DFS bill that’s expected to reach the governor’s desk soon. Currently DFS websites are legal or regulated in: New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Mississippi, Colorado, Missouri, Indiana, Virginia, Kansas and Maryland. It’s not allowed in
States where DFS sites don’t operate include Washington, Iowa, Montana, Arizona, Louisiana, Vermont, Alabama, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho and Nevada (DFS is legal there but requires a gaming license).
In Texas, bill that would legalize daily fantasy sports by exempting them from anti-gambling laws received its first hearing in the legislature.
In 2016, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a non-binding opinion that DFS sites offer gambling and therefore violate state law. FanDuel, one of the two major DFS sites, then stopped offering contests in the states.
According to the Associated Press, Laredo Democratic Rep. Richard Raymond’s bill seeks to legalize DFS sites as offering games of skill rather than chance. The bill was heard in House committee, but left pending, without approval to the chamber floor.
