For the second time, Wisconsin state Rep. Tyler Vorpagel has offered a bill that would consider daily fantasy sports a game of skill, not chance. He said DFS cannot be a game of chance since it requires knowledge of sports, not mere luck. Vorpagel, who said he plays daily fantasy sports, added, “I see this as something that’s currently happening in practice and just want to make sure that people’s ability to keep doing something they enjoy doing is out there.”
Vorpagel stated he wants to pass the legislation because DFS is not banned nor is it legal in Wisconsin. If the bill passes, daily fantasy sports website operators would be subject to audits and would have to ban employees from participating in the games, among other requirements.
Vorpagel said more than 900,000 Wisconsin residents play daily fantasy sports and the state is missing out on the revenue that could generate.
Wisconsin Family Action and are the two primary groups, with a total membership of 22,000, that oppose the DFS measure. Citizens Against Expanded Gambling Executive Director Lorri Pickens expressed concern that DFS targets younger people. “When you look at brick and mortar gambling, the youth do not do that. They don’t go into a casino physically and play poker, but they’re very inclined to do things online. The industry does know this. This is their future,” Pickens said. She added operators and regulators would have difficulty preventing underage players from wagering on DFS websites, since it’s easy to hide identity and age online. She said legalizing DFS could open “Pandora’s online gambling box.”
