GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 34 - February 2016

“It would be a disaster for the company, its employees, its investors and it would be unfair to the tens of thousands of its customers to simply shut it down be- cause the attorney general has changed his mind on whether or not it’s legal.” — DraftKings’ power attorney David Boies on the prospect of New York declaring daily fantasy sports illegal and pulling the plug on DFS sites. “I think anybody looking at this acknowledges it’s a form of gambling. Just be- cause it’s gambling doesn’t make it illegal. We play the stock market. There are all different ways in which gambling may happen. But you know, we can debate chance versus skill and the like. I think just as a prag- matic matter, I think it’s important to get beyond that. Let’s focus on the issues, let’s focus on protecting consumers, and let’s set out some really robust stan- dards for how this industry should operate, if it’s going to operate here in this state.” — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, on regulations for DFS operators her office has proposed. “There is no credible way fantasy sports betting can be described as not gambling. Only a sophist can make such a claim.” — Former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, who drafted the UIGEA in 2006, in an interview with the Associated Press. WEBMASTER NEWS & QUOTABLES: DAILY FANTASY SPORTS UPDATE “Quotables” “I think fantasy sports is pretty much a part of mainstream culture now in our country, and I think it’s a nice element of what we have, and I think it should be regulated as well.” — Kraft Group President Jonathan Kraft in an interview with the Boston Globe . The Kraft Group owns the New England Patriots as well as a stake in DraftKings. “We have always been committed to protecting our players and the industry as a whole, and we will continue to be. That said, it has become apparent to me that our industry has grown to a size where a more formal, industry-wide approach is needed. To be clear, our industry needs strong, commonsense, enforceable consumer protection requirements to ensure its continued growth and success.” — FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles calling for government regulation of daily fantasy sports. “We think we’re on the right side of things. Right doesn’t always win out.” — DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, in a story in the Boston Globe . “Chicago may be the best sports town in the coun- try. So, why the attorney general would tell her 13.5 million constituents they can’t play fantasy sports anymore as they know it – and make no mistake, her opinion bans all forms of fantasy sports played for money – is beyond us. Hopefully the legislature will give back to the people of Illinois the games they love.” — FanDuel in a statement posted on its website after Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan released an opinion in late December that said DFS constituted illegal gambling under the state’s law. Webmaster News & Quotables: Daily Fantasy Sports Update Photo by Doc Searls