Ohio lawmaker wants daily fantasy sports changes

Ohio Senator Bill Coley is ruffling the feathers of daily fantasy sports operators with a new legislative proposal that unless all player deposits find their way back to the players, the pastime constitutes gambling for profit which is against the law in Ohio.

Coley says that at present DFS is an example of the “pools for profit” concept, the rules for which the state Attorney General has opined are unclear in relation to DFS.

Coley wants to clear up any confusion over the vertical, and told the local television station WKSU that in his view “a lot of what they are doing in Ohio is illegal” under state gambling laws.

A spokesman for the principal DFS operators, DraftKings and FanDuel, told the station that Coley’s proposed bill requiring that 100 percent of the money paid into the games must be sent back out to the winners would have serious consequences.

“Other states have recently addressed this issue and have done so in a very clear and effective manner that puts some basic consumer protections around fantasy sports… but have made it clear that the games are legal,” the spokesman said.

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