Florida — a important and legally gray state for daily fantasy sports — appears to have a path toward passing a bill this session.
Meanwhile, the growing Nevada sports betting industry continues to show other states what they are missing. And Pennsylvania’s House advanced a bill that would legalize sports betting.
DFS legislation update
Florida’s legislature has been working on giving the DFS industry legal clarity dating back to 2015. Those efforts have stalled — until this year, perhaps.
More from the Associated Press:
House and Senate Republicans negotiating a comprehensive gambling bill that focuses primarily on casino gambling are including in the legislation proposals regarding fantasy sports.
Senate negotiators on Thursday offered their support for a House bill that says betting on fantasy contests would be allowed as long as the sponsor of the contest is not a participant.
Whether DFS makes the final cut could depend on if the Seminole Tribe agrees to DFS’ inclusion in the gaming package. But right now, things are looking up for DFS. Time is short; the legislature is supposed to adjourn May 5.
Beyond the developments in Florida, it was a relatively slow week for DFS legislation:
- Iowa’s legislature adjourned for the session without passing a DFS bill.
- The tax rate for online gambling in Pennsylvania continues to be an issue that could affect DFS. Meanwhile, a standalone DFS bill passed out of a House committee.
- After the Alabama House passed a bill by a narrow margin, all has been quiet in the Senate, so far.
The DFS bill tally
The number of states that have introduced legislation seeking to legalize DFS in 2017 tallies 24, while the number of states with active legislation stands at 20:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
Iowa- Kentucky
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Vermont
- Washington
- Maine
Legal Sports Report’s legislative tracker has up-to-the-minute updates on all DFS legislation.
Sports betting legalization update
A Pennsylvania House committee unanimously approved a sports betting bill this week. It’s not clear if this bill has a chance to advance on its own, or if it might get swept up in a larger gaming package in the legislature.
The bill would also not challenge current law, like New Jersey is attempting to do; it would simply legalize sports betting if federal law were to allow it. (PASPA currently bans sports betting outside of Nevada.)
Eight states are fighting for a repeal of PASPA, or pre-committing to legalizing sports betting if federal sports betting laws were to change:
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- West Virginia
Nevada sports betting keeps growing
Nevada sportsbooks saw $475 million in handle flow through their doors in March, largely due to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Other states with casinos and horse tracks surely salivate at the possibility of offering sports wagering down the road when they see the growth Nevada has experienced. Handle in March has grown $100 million in three years.
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