The Ohio Casino Control Commission’s draft rules for fantasy sports wagering in the state would "ban players from using 'autodraft,' which allows participants entering a contest to randomly select the players on their roster in some games," according to Rick Rouan of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. OCCC Communications Dir Jessica Franks said of the autodraft function, "It removes that skill component. It no longer meets with the requirement of the law." The commission has been "working on rules for more than a year and expects to vote on the final proposal on Wednesday." Rules would "take effect in early September, as millions of people set their lineups for the start of the NFL season on Sept. 5." The rules "mostly apply to operators such as FanDuel, DraftKings, Yahoo and other, smaller businesses that allow participants to compete against others by picking the players they think will perform best over a certain period." The rules will "apply only to fantasy sports; the Ohio General Assembly has not yet acted on legislation to regulate sports betting in Ohio." If approved, the fantasy sports rules would "require operators to obtain a three-year state license and pay a fee of $30,000, $15,000, $9,000 or $3,000 based on the number of players they have in Ohio" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 8/15).
