Wisconsin and Illinois have joined the mounting list of states that have given daily fantasy sports special attention, whether for the better or worse.
Wisconsin’s current law doesn’t address the legality of fantasy sports although it bans most forms of gambling except tribal casinos and the state’s lottery, bingo halls and raffles.
Wisconsin AG Brad Schimel has yet to join the band of US states’ attorneys general who scrutinized fantasy sports. According to Schimel’s spokesperson, the AG office has not received any complaints about DFS sites DraftKings and FanDuel.
Meaning fantasy sports is neither legal nor illegal in Wisconsin. But it is not enough as Rep. Tyler Vorpagel wants to protect fantasy sports from future uncertainties in the state, which is why he is drafting a bill that will legalize it.
Fantasy sports lobbyists are ready as Ryan Murray, the former aide to Gov. Scott Walker, and Buddy Julius, president of The Firm Consulting and a former lobbyist for AT&T, were authorized to represent the Fantasy Sports Trade Association in the state in December.
Another lobbyist, Peter Schoenke, president and founder of Rotowire.com, is hopeful that the conversation in Wisconsin will go smoother than in other states that want to clarify the legality of fantasy sports
Wisconsin-based RotoWire.com provides fantasy news and information to ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, and Fox Sports.
Meanwhile in Illinois…
Rep. Scott Drury requested a special committee to look at fantasy sports betting.
Drury sent a letter to House Speaker Michael Madigan on Monday, asking him to hold hearings and subpoena documents and testimonies. Drury believes the committee would help lawmakers make informed decisions about addressing fantasy sports’ legality.
Drury’s letter came after Illinois AG Lisa Madigan released an advisory opinion that daily fantasy sports contests constitute illegal gambling according to state law and demanded major DFS operators amend their terms of use to include Illinois in the list of states from which the sites don’t accept customers.
Fantasy sports kingpins swiftly responded with two lawsuits to block Madigan’s effort. Both parties reached a deal on an expedited court schedule of their legal fight, which allows DFS operators to operate in Illinois for now.
