Fantasy Sports May Be Illegal in California
.jpg)
Fantasy football used to be something of a pastime. People took part in leagues at work or with friends when the season started. Today, fantasy sports is big business. Companies like DraftKings and FanDuel have sprung up and cornered the market. Now, you don’t have to have a group of friends to play with. You only have to sign on to the Internet, create your team and compete.
That could all change in California if the state makes it illegal to participate in this type of online gaming. If it happens, California will be similar to New York where a cease-and-desist order was delivered to DraftKings and FanDuel. If such a law passes in the state, anyone participating in fantasy sports online would be breaking the law.
The OC Register’s Ryan Kartje shared a letter that was uncovered recently. In it, Assemblymember Marc Levine writes to California Attorney General Kamala Harris, “This letter is to respectfully request that your office take action to order FanDuel, DraftKings and other fantasy sports betting websites to immediately discontinue business in California.” Levine goes on to state that he does not believe such sites are legal under current state law.
There has been little in the way of chatter regarding daily fantasy sports in the state of California. One assemblymember, Adam Gray, has already indicated that he was in no rush to pass new laws because he wanted to take a “thoughtful approach” to the topic. Other public officials seem to have followed suit. Whether or not the attorney general will take small steps or a giant leap remains to be seen.
No matter what happens, one thing is certain: The daily fantasy sports industry is big business in the state, and losing players in California could be devastating to the leading businesses in the industry, especially after losing players in New York.
Stephen Levine, is a Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Defense — an honor achieved by only the top criminal law attorneys in California. Mr. Levine has over 40 years of experience in criminal defense and family law serving Southern California, and is a highly regarded Super Lawyer as well as AV Rated attorney.