Hopes in Texas for daily fantasy sports legalisation

Rep. Richard Raymond, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, told local media reporters this week that he has high hopes for his daily fantasy sports legalisation bill, which he claims has the support of everyone with whom he has discussed the issue.

Raymond, who plays fantasy sports, introduced HB 1457 in the week before the start of the Major League Basketball season this Sunday, commenting:

“There’s a lot of skill that goes into this. I thought it was ridiculous for the government to try to take away your right to play fantasy sports. So far everyone I’ve talked to has agreed it is a game of skill. That means it’s not expanding gambling.”

According to the Fantasy Sports Association, 55 million Americans regularly play fantasy sports , spending an average of $556 per head annually.

Our readers may recall that last year Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion that DFS constitutes unlawful gambling under state law, but Raymond has pointed out that the AG’s opinion is not binding on lawmakers: “It is simply an opinion,” he said.

Rep. Raymond’s bill, which is supported by Texas Senator Lois Kolkhorst, is to be discussed on Monday by the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, along with other issues ranging from letting certain lottery prize winners remain anonymous to allowing more professional teams to participate in 50-50 charitable raffles.

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