GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 36 - October 2016

A year ago, the state of New York was a heck of a lot closer to being banished to our Wall of Shame than to becoming a distinguished APCW Hall of Famer. You may remember it was the Empire State, playing the role of the Evil Empire, that ignited what became a sordid daily fantasy sports firestorm last fall. That’s when Anakin Skywalker, err, make that Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, be- gan the suffocation of the then-blossoming DFS industry when he announced that DraftKings and FanDuel were “illegal sports gambling businesses.” Schneiderman followed that salvo by firing off a hasty cease-and-desist order before finally ordering the DFS giants to stop ac- cepting wagers in the state, leading to the eventual exit of DraftKings and FanDuel from the lucrative New York market. Many of Schneiderman’s fellow AGs across the U.S. followed suit and began putting their microscopes on the industry, and chaos quickly ensued. To this day you need a map to figure out in which states you can legally play DFS, and in which ones it’s considered a crime. (We just so happen to provide that handy-dandy map on page 7 of this issue). But despite all the commotion and contro- versy Schneiderman created, New York redeemed itself. It now takes its rightful place in our hallowed Hall of Fame, after completing an unforeseen 180-degree turn and passing a bill inAugust that regulated and legalized DFS – just in time for the American football season. The about-face began in June when the Senate passed the bill just under the gun on the final day of the legislative ses- sion, leaving it a Gov. Andrew Cuomo signature away from becoming law. For- ty-six days later, on 3 August, Cuomo put his name on the bill, making New York the seventh state to give the green light to DFS this year.While DFS fans in New York rejoiced, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Schneiderman spouted off and continued to rail against the industry. Instead, the AG was gracious in “defeat.” “As I’ve said from the start of my office’s investigation into daily fantasy sports, my job is to enforce the law and protect New Yorkers from illegal or unscrupu- lous conduct,” he said in a statement. “The Governor has signed a bill that amends the law in order to legalize daily fantasy sports contests, with consumer protections for New York players. I will enforce and defend the new law.”Now, let’s all hope we see a similar step in the right direction come 2017 for on- line poker in New York. The bill made significant progress in 2016, passing a committee vote and being included in the budget, but ended up stalling once again to the point where Assembly member Gary Pretlow said the bill had a “100-to-1 shot to hit the floor.” Not exactly promising odds, for sure. But, as we saw with DFS, things can change rather quickly in New York, and for the better. Stay tuned. HALL OF FAME Despite all the commotion and controversy Schneiderman created, New York redeemed itself . . . passing a bill that regulated and legalized DFS. 72 W W W . G P W A T I M E S . O R G The State of New York