New Bill Proposed to Legalize Fantasy Sports in Washington State

9 years ago
New Bill Proposed to Legalize Fantasy Sports in Washington State
14:37
25 Jan

It is a well-known fact that Washington State has very strict and harsh gambling laws that go so far as to put fantasy sports under the subheading of gambling. Those playing in online fantasy sports leagues for real-money can face felony charges, much the same as online poker players. A new bill that has been introduced by state Senator Pam Roach is looking to change that and make fantasy sports games legal within Washington's borders.

According to Roach, it is estimated that some 500,000 people in Washington State are involved in some sort of fantasy sports activities, but players are limited by the laws in the state. That means that even though season long leagues at ESPN and Yahoo include Washington residents, it is impossible for those players to win any prizes.

As casino.org reported, Roach said that it is time to reclassify the contents as a game of skill rather than as luck based gambling. Roach claims that Washington State looks upon fantasy football as a game of chance; in other words, the state considers it a crime to compete in it. If the definition of fantasy sports does not change into a skill game instead of a game of chance, it will be impossible to make it legal in Washington.

There’s always the chance the Seattle Seahawks will come back from two touchdowns down with two minutes left. Whereas in most states, the fact that you’ve spent all this time poring over stats and making your own spreadsheets, that’s the skill part, and that weighs most heavily." Chris Stern, www.casino.org;

Major daily fantasy sports sites like FanDuel and Draft Kings don’t allow Washington residents to play games on their sites so players often play on the sites that are open to them; however, they do so without a chance to pay an entry fee or to collect prizes. If the new bill passes, Washingtonians will still not be able to bet on the results of different sporting events, but they could fully participate in fantasy sports league competitions.

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) that has been representing the interests of fantasy sports companies gave its support to Roach's legalization efforts and its chairman, Peter Schoenke, expressed his opinion that residents of Washington should be able to legally take part in fantasy sports competitions and claim prizes just like players in other states.

Apart from Washington, placing bets on fantasy sports sites is prohibited in Montana, Indiana, Iowa and Arizona, where there is a chance that a similar bill will be introduced. If the new bill passes, Washingtonians will be able to enjoy and play their favorite games for real money on the sites of their choice and will not have to dread the prospect of criminal persecution.


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Ines is a Journalism student with many interests, poker being one of these. Her passion to learn and develop her horizons make her a valuable contributor to the site's content.Read more

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