(PRESS RELEASE) Fantasy Sports Bill Passes the New York Legislature
NEW YORK, NY – June 17, 2016 – Today, a fantasy sports law overwhelmingly passed the New York State Senate and Assembly with votes of 45-17 and 91-22, respectively. The legislation clarifies New York state laws to affirm the legality of fantasy sports and installs important consumer protections by creating a clear set of regulations fantasy sports companies must follow. The bill’s passage in New York caps an extraordinary run of national state legislative progress in the last six months, with seven legislative bodies – Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, and Virginia – now passing a fantasy sports bill this year.
“New York fantasy sports fans rallied – with more than 100,000 emails and thousands of phone calls to legislators – and legislators heard them and responded,” said Nigel Eccles, FanDuel CEO and Co-Founder. “The bill represents a thoughtful legislative process, where bi-partisanship and willingness to compromise carried the day, and we are extremely hopeful Governor Cuomo will sign this bill. We decided long ago to build FanDuel in New York because it’s the sports capital of the world and a thriving home for tech startups – a natural fit for fantasy sports. Our success is due in no small part to the people, infrastructure, partnerships and opportunities here, which very few locations in the world can offer.”
“New York is the seventh state to pass a fantasy sports bill just this year– frankly a remarkable amount of progress in a short period of time,” continued Eccles. “It speaks to the popularity of our game, the passion and advocacy efforts of our fans and the immense potential states are seeing in the fantasy sports industry.”
If the bill is signed into law, it will accomplish the following:
– Protect games more than three million New Yorkers play and many companies will be able to offer fantasy contests in time for the upcoming NFL season.
– Solidify New York State as an incubator for this fast-growing piece of the technology industry. Nearly 30 fantasy sports companies are based in New York, including fantasy data, analytics, and media companies, and will be able to continue operating, growing and building, as a part of the state’s thriving tech sector.
– Install consumer protections all fantasy sports operator must adhere to including:
- Ensuring players are 18 and above;
- Requiring all fantasy game operators to be registered and vetted by the State;
- Enabling players to exclude themselves from contests and permanently close their accounts at any time;
- Offering introductory on-boarding for new players;
- Prohibiting any contest based on a collegiate or high school sport or athletic event;
- Requiring “high experienced players” to be clearly identified for all users to see;
- Disclosing the number of entries a player may submit to each contest, and the number of total entries allowed for each contest;
- Taking measures to protect the privacy and online security of players and their accounts;
- Keeping player funds separate from operating funds, ensuring player money is accessible at all times; and more;
- Ensures fantasy sports operators offering contests to New York state residents prior to November 10, 2015, are able to continue operating until their application for registration has been approved or denied, provided they file an application for registration with the State of New York.
Media Contacts:
Justine Sacco, FanDuel
516-554-5666