The new year is barely two weeks old, and flurries of sports betting legislation are popping up across the country.
Two states are moving forward with sports betting legislation filed last year: West Virginia and Kentucky. Two others introduced new bills: Indiana and Illinois. And at least one other state primes itself to introduce legislation: Minnesota.
There hasn’t been any early activity on the daily fantasy sports front thus far, but if the last two years are any indication, plenty of DFS bills are on the way.
Here’s DFS Report’s monthly look at the latest DFS and sports betting legislative efforts across the United States.
DFS legislation update
Ohio Governor signs on the dotted line
One state legalized DFS since our last legislation update, Ohio.
After the legislature passed a DFS bill at the tail end of the year, Ohio Governor John Kasich made it official just before Christmas, signing the legislation into law. And with that, Ohio is the 19th state to legalize DFS, and the ninth that did so in 2017.
The DFS bill tally
With Ohio joining the club, the list of states that have passed DFS legislation jumped to 19:
- Arkansas
- Connecticut (pending tribal approval)
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
| 2017 DFS Legislation Tracker | |||
| State | Bill introduced | Legislation passed | DFS legalized pre-2017 |
| Alabama | X | ||
| Alaska | |||
| Arizona | |||
| Arkansas | X | X | |
| California | |||
| Colorado | X | ||
| Connecticut | X | X | |
| Delaware | X | X | |
| Florida | X | ||
| Georgia | X | ||
| Hawaii | X | ||
| Idaho | |||
| Illinois | X | ||
| Indiana | X | ||
| Iowa | X | ||
| Kansas | X | ||
| Kentucky | X | ||
| Louisiana | |||
| Maine | X | X | |
| Maryland | X | ||
| Massachusetts | X | ||
| Michigan | X | ||
| Minnesota | X | ||
| Mississippi | X | ||
| Missouri | X | ||
| Montana | X | ||
| Nebraska | X | ||
| Nevada | |||
| New Hampshire | X | X | |
| New Jersey | X | X | |
| New Mexico | |||
| New York | X | ||
| North Carolina | X | ||
| North Dakota | |||
| Ohio | X | X | |
| Oklahoma | |||
| Oregon | X | ||
| Pennsylvania | X | X | |
| Rhode Island | X | ||
| South Carolina | |||
| South Dakota | |||
| Tennessee | X | ||
| Texas | X | ||
| Utah | |||
| Vermont | X | X | |
| Virginia | X | ||
| Washington | X | ||
| West Virginia | |||
| Wisconsin | X | ||
| Wyoming | |||
| Total | 26 | 9 | 10 |
Legal Sports Report’s legislative tracker has information and up-to-the-minute updates on all DFS legislation.
DraftKings announces its moving HQ
In other DFS news, DraftKings announced it will move its headquarters to the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. It will also increase its workforce by as much as 75 percent over the next year and a half.
DraftKings’ new home will double the current size of its office to more than 100,000 square feet. In a statement, CEO Jason Robins said:
“We are entering an exciting phase of accelerated growth at DraftKings as we continue to develop new products and diversify our offerings. To meet these needs and remain at the forefront of innovation, DraftKings is focused on hiring top talent.
“We are also honing in on our commitment to Boston by opening a new headquarters in the city. We’re especially thankful to Governor Baker, Mayor Walsh and the state’s legislative leadership for their continued support of our company and Boston’s thriving tech economy.”
The DraftKings news stands in sharp contrast to the situation at rival FanDuel.
- There’s been a shakeup at the highest level of the company with co-founder Tom Griffiths and CEO Nigel Eccles leaving the company.
- A round of layoffs decreased US employment at FanDuel to around 100 people.
Sports betting legalization update
Indiana and Illinois join the fray; West Virginia and Kentucky rejoin
Two states, Kentucky and West Virginia, are taking a second swing at passing sports betting legislation in 2018.
Kentucky’s bill was introduced in late 2017 and carried over to this year. West Virginia reintroduced legislation from 2017.
Two other states, Indiana and Illinois, are taking their first bite at the sports betting apple. This is a trend that will almost certainly continue throughout 2018, evidenced by the talk coming out of Minnesota.
Leagues look to cash in with ‘integrity fee’
The Indiana bill is the most interesting of the bunch. The legislation includes language that would see sports leagues receive compensation as an “integrity fee.”
The current integrity fee is set at one percent of handle, which works out to an additive tax of about 20 percent. Legal Sports Report has more on this new development here.
Sports betting bill tally
The list of states that have passed sports betting legislation stands at four:
- Connecticut
- Mississippi (There is some confusion surrounding the legislation passed in Mississippi and if it extends to sports betting)
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
| Sports Betting Legislation Tracker | |||
| State | Bill introduced | Legislation passed | PASPA Exemption |
| Alabama | |||
| Alaska | |||
| Arizona | |||
| Arkansas | |||
| California | X | ||
| Colorado | |||
| Connecticut | X | X | |
| Delaware | Parlay betting is legal | ||
| Florida | |||
| Georgia | |||
| Hawaii | X | ||
| Idaho | |||
| Illinois | X | ||
| Indiana | X | ||
| Iowa | |||
| Kansas | |||
| Kentucky | X | ||
| Louisiana | |||
| Maine | |||
| Maryland | X | ||
| Massachusetts | |||
| Michigan | X | ||
| Minnesota | |||
| Mississippi | X | X | |
| Missouri | |||
| Montana | Sports pools are legal | ||
| Nebraska | |||
| Nevada | Sports betting is legal | ||
| New Hampshire | |||
| New Jersey | X | X | |
| New Mexico | |||
| New York | X | ||
| North Carolina | |||
| North Dakota | |||
| Ohio | |||
| Oklahoma | X | ||
| Oregon | Parlay cards are legal | ||
| Pennsylvania | X | X | |
| Rhode Island | |||
| South Carolina | X | ||
| South Dakota | |||
| Tennessee | |||
| Texas | |||
| Utah | |||
| Vermont | |||
| Virginia | |||
| Washington | |||
| West Virginia | X | ||
| Wisconsin | |||
| Wyoming | |||
| Total | 15 | 4 | 4 |
