Supporters of Daily Fantasy Sports vowed that they would continue their fight to bring about the legalization of DFS in all 50 states, as they celebrated New York Governor, Bill Cuomo’s signing of a law in the state last week.
“It is a tremendous day for the industry and one that we hope to build on in the months ahead,” said Jeremy Kudon, a lobbyist for DFS operators DraftKings and FanDuel, as well as the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
“We’re not satisfied with passing 8 bills in 6 months,” he noted. “We won’t rest until we pass bills in all 50 states.”
Governor Cuomo requested that the bill be sent to his desk last Tuesday and it took him less than 24 hours to make New York the seventh state to legalize and regulate its real-money Daily Fantasy Sports Industry.
In June this year, New York’s legislature passed the DFS law, although the final decision was left in the hands of the Governor. Under state law, from the time it reached his table, the governor had 10 days to make a decision regarding the future of the law – either signing it or vetoing it. Another option would have been not to make a decision at all, and by doing so, the law would automatically come into effect.
Late last week, Cuomo issued a press release saying: “Daily fantasy sports have proven to be popular in New York, but until now have operated with no supervision and no protections for players. This legislation strikes the right balance that allows this activity to continue with oversight from state regulators, new consumer protections, and more funding for education.”
The new bill was welcomed by many who have been working tirelessly to bring legal DFS to New York.
Senator John Bonacic, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said that he was pleased that the governor was allowing thousands of New Yorkers the opportunity to continue playing DFS games which they have been playing for over a decade. He said that with strong consumer protections and economic benefits to the state, he believed that the legislation would serve as a model for the rest of the United States.
Also commenting was Assemblyman Gary Pretlow who said that DFS games had the potential to generate millions of dollars in revenue for the state. He added that the bill was a win-win for all – allowing operators to continue their businesses and, at the same time, ensuring a safe gaming environment for players.
