Illinois state Rep. Scott Drury yesterday introduced a bill that would "effectively codify Attorney General Lisa Madigan's December advisory opinion that daily fantasy sports were illegal gambling" under state law, according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. The bill is the "first legislative move to shut down" DFS operators in Illinois. It would "target only" DFS operators, "labeling their paid games illegal gambling while exempting season-long fantasy sports games from the ban." The bill also "would clarify the state's definition of gambling to include smartphones as opposed to only 'online' gambling." If adopted, the bill "would immediately halt the Illinois operations of FanDuel and DraftKings," whose paid DFS games "were played by some 2 million Illinois residents last year." Drury is one of the "most vocal opponents of a bill introduced last fall" by state Rep. Mike Zalewski that would have exempted DFS "from the state's definition of gambling and implemented a licensing and tax structure for the games." If either bill "were to pass now with a simple majority, it could not take effect until next June" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 6/8).
EMPIRE GAMES: In Buffalo, Tom Precious notes New York state Conservative Party Chair Michael Long "wants state lawmakers to slow down on any moves to legalize daily fantasy sports in New York." Long yesterday said that he "opposes legalization efforts" for DFS (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/9). In Albany, Rick Karlin reports with four days left in the New York legislative session, a "full field of players and their lobbyists are upping the ante on bets that their gambling-related measures will become law." In addition to DFS, promoters of online poker are "pushing for legalization" (Albany TIMES UNION, 6/9). In N.Y., Glenn Blain noted FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles on Tuesday in a letter to the leaders of the state legislature "warned that the Manhattan-based company would likely leave the state unless lawmakers adopt a law that allows them to resume operations in New York." FanDuel, which moved its offices to Manhattan in '11, "employs 175 workers" at its Union Square HQ (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/8).
