New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had more strong words for the daily fantasy sports industry as he pursues an inquiry into DraftKings and FanDuel.
‘Totally unregulated gambling venues’
Schneiderman had already announced his intent to investigate DraftKings and FanDuel in the wake of media coverage of a data leak at DraftKings on consumer protection grounds.
But his constant references to betting and gambling over the course of today’s interview were interesting in the current climate. DFS stakes its claim to legality in most jurisdictions as a game of skill.
Here are a few of the references he made:
- “We’re looking for the most basic information, because these are totally unregulated gambling venues…”
- “Billions of dollars are being bet on these games…”
- “They’ve immediately imposed a ban on their employees gambling on other sites…”
- “No one’s going to place bets if they think it’s a rigged casino.”
You can watch the whole interview here.
Regulation in NY?
He also suggested that there should be a mix of internal regulation and external regulation for the DFS industry. That however, would have to come from the state legislature, not the AG’s office.
The interview came soon after Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey gave DFS a green light on its legality there.
Right now, the words from Schneiderman are just that. But his choice of language is still worth noting.