New York Daily Fantasy Sports In Danger Of Being Made Illegal

• A New York Court is discussing whether or not daily fantasy sports (DFS) is a game of chance or skill.
• If DFS is considered gambling by the court, it could be made illegal in the Empire State.

NEW YORK - A discussion was had on Tuesday regarding whether or not daily fantasy sports (DFS) should be considered gambling in the New York Court of Appeals.

DFS: A Game Of Chance Or Not Skill?

According to previous legislation, DFS is not considered gambling. However, that law is now being revisited to discuss just how much chance is involved in the hobby.

"You're arguing that I cannot place a bet on whether the Buffalo Bills win their next game, but I can place a bet on whether or not their lead receiver Stefon Diggs catches the ball ten times or six times," said Hon. Eugene Fahy to the state's attorney, as reported by Spectrum news 1.

Most forms of gambling are illegal in New York, so a constitutional amendment would need to be made for DFS, if it is determined to be chance-based.

Skill-Based Hobby

The argument against the idea of DFS being a game of chance is that participants have access to so much information that their predictions become skill-based.

"The contestants have available to them a wealth of information, much like the analytics available to the general managers of the world," said Victor Paladino New York Assistant Solicitor General.

Gambling in New York is already pretty limited at it is. If DFS is determined to be gambling, fans may have to turn their attention to other platforms, such as online sports betting to play.