Buffalo NY action group voices opposition to daily fantasy sports

The Buffalo NY-based action group Coalition Against Gambling appears to have been stung into action by the progress in the New York Legislature this week of daily fantasy sport legalisation measures, with spokesman and retired physician Stephen Shafer claiming “DFS is a hustle”.

Shafer is a persistent critic of DFS, which he claims is illegal, exploitive and harmful…and in some cases rigged against amateur players due to the minority of well-equipped, experienced and knowledgeable sharks who make most of the money on DFS websites like FanDuel and DraftKings.

DFS is gambling, Shafer and his group contend, and they are opposed to any expansion of gambling.

One of their concerns regarding the current situation, where DFS bills are progressing through committee stages in the New York state Legislature, is that political sleight-of-hand may see DFS legalised in the state.

Lawmakers are currently working against a looming June 16 adjournment date for the Legislature, which Shafer says could set up a “Big Ugly” situation – defined as one where a package of bills are rushed through in an end-of-session omnibus, often held late at night on the last day of the session.

“What I fear is that they’ll jam it into some omnibus bill at the end,” Shafer commented to the local WXXI news station. “So that you’d have to vote for it to get some other bill that you want.”

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