OT: DraftKings, FanDuel, can't operate in New York
In a brief business article in today's Chicago Tribune (not paywalled), it was noted that DraftKings and FanDuel are banned in NY.
LINK: Judge: DraftKings, FanDuel can't operate in N.Y.
This doesn't affect me personally, although it is surely of interest to many bloggers. The ads are annoying, and I've not been a fan of those sites. While it is everyone's personal choice, it seems to me there are plenty of suckers who lose, and a few who get rich.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
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December 11th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^
The NY AG basically said it was illegal and banned them. This Court decision basically confirmed the AG's interpetation of the law.
December 12th, 2015 at 12:51 AM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 11:31 AM ^
So this could lead the way for them to be banned elsewhere.
December 11th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
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December 11th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
The ruling was from the state AG a few weeks back. A bit of old news.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^
As I said above, not quite true. The AG can give his interpretation of a law, as he did here, but that intepretation is not binding until a Court says its so. Most would follow what an AG says because who wants to be arrested, but in this case, it was important enough to immediately appeal to the Courts.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
You are partially correct. The NY AG argued several weeks ago that the sites were illegal gambling. According to the Trib,
"A Judge on Friday barred daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel from doing business in New York, ordering the country's two biggest fantasy sports companies to stop taking bets after the state's attorney general argued their operations were illegal gambling."
I'm not entirely clear what the relationship between the courts and the AG is, but this appears to back up the AG, and to strengthen the case against the sites.
December 11th, 2015 at 10:40 PM ^
December 12th, 2015 at 12:53 AM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
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December 11th, 2015 at 12:22 PM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
Heh, I've done this a couple of times in grand theft auto...
December 11th, 2015 at 1:43 PM ^
Natural selection is gonna take care of this guy in the long run (if it hasn't already).
December 11th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^
Now they have more money for ads for the rest of us.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
has been in old news in NY for a while it feels. Not as old news as Time Sq Toys R Us closing but at least a month or so.
December 11th, 2015 at 3:41 PM ^
Old news? I was able to use draft kings last night.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
I thought it is old news. Anyway, I hope they go out of business entirely because I'm sick of all the terrible commercials and people lying about how they won millions of dollars.
December 11th, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^
It isn't a lie. Surely it is very uncommon, like winning the lottery, but there are weekly NFL contests with a $2MM top prize
December 11th, 2015 at 12:11 PM ^
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December 11th, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
Won $10,000 a month ago. For sure not employed by them.
December 11th, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
What sport, what buy-in, what place did you finish?
Consider this a Voracity check
December 11th, 2015 at 2:09 PM ^
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December 11th, 2015 at 2:51 PM ^
Does that help?
December 11th, 2015 at 2:09 PM ^
I find DFS to be a fun diversion from daily life. I frequently bet on DFS games (NBA, NFL and CFB) and have been doing so since August. I initally invested $100 in August and I am up to $900 overall. It takes effort to put together a good line up, but there is also an element of luck to it as well. Isn't it like that with stocks too? (our retirement system is built on stocks.)
I get the aversion to the ads (yeah, annoying, but so are most ads. Don't be fooled: if these ads go away, something aggrivating will replace them. Cialis, anyone?). But that isn't the issue: There is a huge advantage for DFS employees and auto-generated entries (computer picking 300+ entries) that some competitors use. It should be regulated.
With that in mind, there are alternatives to the large tournaments that allow up to 500 entries per user as well. Single entry and small leagues are a good way to go.
December 11th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 2:12 PM ^
I don't know, the AG's role is to enforce the laws of the state, and it is pretty clear that daily fantasy is illegal gambling. Reciting the justifications for illegal gambling statutes does not make the AG self serving or disingenuous. Nor does the fact that NY allows some forms of legal gambling.
The state already bans the most analogous forms of gambling (online poker, straight sports betting). If anything, it had previously been giving daily fantasy a pass when none was warranted.
I would be in favor of legalizing sports gambling and poker. But until the people of New York do that (which I don't think they can with sports gambling due to the Feds), the AG should enforce the law. If DraftKings and FanDuel want to run their system in the U.S. they should be lobbying to loosen gambling laws rather than pretend what they do isn't gambling.
Note I say this as someone who has bet on DraftKings.
December 11th, 2015 at 3:20 PM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^
This feels like old news, though maybe there was a recent court affirmation. I live in the NY area and it hasn't slowed down their advertising.
December 11th, 2015 at 2:20 PM ^
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December 11th, 2015 at 4:01 PM ^
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December 11th, 2015 at 3:49 PM ^
This is definitely not old news. I live in New York City and was able to play yesterday. I had only played once before, but I believe there was a temporary ban that was lifted not that long ago. I only played yesterday because I got an invite from the Red Wings to play and have a shot a 4 tickets in a suite as the grand prize.
BTW, at the Barclays Center - where the Islanders and Nets play - there are "fantasy" sports advertisers everywhere. Especially obvious are the ones on the side of the 'rink' where the visitor shoots twice. There are practically zero seats on that side of the 'arena' because the arena was not designed for NHL hockey, so they have a car in one corner and a tarp covering the section that is blanketed by fantasy sports advertising. It's the oddest rink in the NHL for sure.
December 11th, 2015 at 4:53 PM ^
December 11th, 2015 at 4:58 PM ^
Ha - you beat me to it. Here's the email I just got:
Today, the New York Courts issued a preliminary decision that would require us to pause daily fantasy sports contests in New York State.
We are deeply disappointed in this decision, and have immediately filed an appeal.
While our appeal is heard, the Court has agreed to grant our request for an immediate stay of its injunction.
This means that you can continue to play daily fantasy sports in New York for now. There will no change to your account status at this time.
In the meantime, we will work tirelessly to bring about a permanent outcome that protects your right to play DFS in New York.
We expect an appellate court to see what we have seen from the outset: that DFS is a game of skill, one that builds community and whose competitive spirit has become central to the lives of millions of people. Our appeal will make clear that daily fantasy contests require just as much skill as do season-long contests, which the Attorney General recognizes as perfectly legal under state law.
Your help will be crucial as we make our voice heard. Join us in the fight to protect our game by letting your legislators know how much you love daily fantasy sports.
We will continue to provide you with relevant information and updates on your status.
Thank you for your support and for your loyalty to DraftKings.
DraftKings