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Question of the day

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Illinois

* AP…

The Illinois Gaming Board plans to seek a legal opinion on whether daily fantasy sports websites like those ordered shut down in Nevada violate state law.

Spokesman Gene O’Shea said Friday the board believes sites like DraftKings and FanDuel are illegal in Illinois. He says the board will likely send a letter next week asking Attorney General Lisa Madigan for an opinion because it doesn’t have authority to take action.

Nevada regulators on Thursday ordered the sites to shut down, saying they can’t operate in the state without a gambling license.

The sites insist they’re skill-based — not chance-based — wagers and therefore not subject to gambling regulations.

* The Question: Should those ubiquitous fantasy sports betting sites be banned in Illinois? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

picture polls

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:14 pm

Comments

It really isn’t different from on-line poker. I voted no because I think they should both be legal. And heavily taxed/regulated.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:19 pm
How does this differ from betting on stocks?

Comment by Poster Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:19 pm
Gambling is Gambling. get a license or go to jail.

Comment by Allen D Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:20 pm
I voted no to banning them, but only to the extent that they pay an appropriate registration/license fee to the state.

Fantasy leagues are gambling, pure and simple. Whatever skill they require is no greater than the skill required to assess an overall, whole-team’s predicted performance in straight-up sports betting. The risks attendant to on-line sports betting are the same with fantasy leagues, and the return to the operators is functionally equal.

Make them register, pay a fee, follow best-practices rules and monitor them like every other gaming currently allowed.

Comment by Springfieldish Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:22 pm
Tax it at 15% and it will be a go.

Comment by Roscoe Tom Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:22 pm
No - don’t ban. Just make all sports-betting legal and tax the heck out of them.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:23 pm
If making it illegal will stop the non-stop flow of obnoxious ads during games, I’m all for it.

Comment by How Ironic Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:24 pm
I’m with 47th Ward. Quit the BS. It is the same as poker. Allow it and tax the crap out of it. If you can play slot machines at (it seems like) every restaurant and bar in the state then allow this and tax it heavily.

Also, it’s time to legalize sports betting as well. If I can’t bet on the Bears, why should I be able to bet on Matt Forte? It makes absolutely ZERO sense.

Comment by CrazyHorse Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:25 pm
No, all gambling should be legal.

Comment by Postyer Comment Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:25 pm
Voted no, naturally.

Grand total number of people harmed by these sites: 0

Comment by Roamin' Numeral Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:28 pm
Voted no.

I can’t see the gambling element. If this is gambling then so is playing the stock market.

Comment by Anon Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:28 pm
===If making it illegal will stop the non-stop flow of obnoxious ads during games, I’m all for it.===

Finally! Now there’s more time for E.D. and beer commercials!

Voted No. Is it illegal? I don’t know. Should it be illegal? No.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:29 pm
“heavily taxed/regulated”

This, please.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:30 pm
Yes they should be banned… UNTIL they are taxed and regulated (see recent reports of “insider trading” by Draft Kings and Fan Duel employees).

Comment by The Muse Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:33 pm
Uhm, I think we have a mini casino in every nook and cranny of the state now with video gaming so the genie is out of the bottle already…..just saying

Comment by Lasalle Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:34 pm
@The Muse. Yep.

Comment by Bogey Golfer Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:37 pm
I voted yes in the sense that this is like poker. Poker takes a lot of skill, but it is still a game of chance. This should be regulated if there is $ involved. And taxed if allowed to operate.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:39 pm
Rauner, “these sites will be banned unless they strip collective bargaining rights from all who work and/or play there.”

/s

Comment by There is power in a union... Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:41 pm
Banned until they can be accounted for in state law, including taxation. The fiction that its not gambling, inserted into federal terrorism law by an NFL lobbyist, shouldn’t handcuff states.

Comment by Relocated Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:42 pm
Ban it or tax it as we do with other gaming operations ( including those run by the State ).

Comment by illini Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:44 pm
I voted yes.

Fantasy Football is more a game of skill than people think. It is also ripe for inside information.

Bill Simmons and the current Grantland staff detail a lot of these problems on their site and on their vlogs. Sophisticated “general managers” use algorithms and play across hundreds of thousands of daily/weekly leagues to gain a leg up on others who often play only $5, $10 or $20 worth of credits each week.

There is more out there, but this is the best summation I have seen since the DraftKings and FanDuel revelations have come to pass.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/millionaire-sports-gambler-explains-why-180100740.html

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:44 pm
It should remain legal, but only after taxation and regulation.

Comment by Southern Illinois Hoopdee Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:48 pm
Banned, no, just taxed and regulated as many suggested.

Comment by AC Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:49 pm
So what does the gaming board say about not paying lotto winners?

Comment by No Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:49 pm
Yes. I’ve seen gambling problems up close. If this would only affect those playing, I’d vote no…let them have at it. But it affects others, especially in the immediate family (lost opportunities for the kids, etc.). I do, however, realize this is only a small sliver of the whole gambling spectre.

Comment by Stumpy's bunker Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:53 pm
Voted No. Like a few others in this thread, I’m with 47th Ward’s solid explanation.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:56 pm
Ban ‘em. Too many ways to game the system to the benefit of the insiders and the detriment of the small fry. See TS’ link above.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:57 pm
Gambling can be chance based or skill based, often it is some combination of both.

The fantasy sports websites are as addictive as video-gambling machines.

This type of gambling should only be available at a casino, not in our local bars and restaurants or in our homes.

Comment by Enviro Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 3:59 pm
I agree with Team Sleep, but I also don’t see how online gambling is going to be preventable as we progress into a cyber-age.

Comment by Timmeh Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:00 pm
No, just tax it like they do my video poker playing.

Comment by RUGurmpy? Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:17 pm
I voted to ban them. I don’t disagree with any commenter who said they should be regulated and taxed - they should be - but that’s not an option right now, and in that context, without that choice, discontinuing their operation in Illinois seems like the right choice.

I think it’s gambling, but honestly I’m not entirely sure. Given recent reports, it might be outright fraud.

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:18 pm
“It really isn’t different from on-line poker. I voted no because I think they should both be legal. And heavily taxed/regulated.”

This. Prohibition does not work, never has never will.

Comment by Striketoo Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:21 pm
Banned, no. Licensed and taxed, yes.

Comment by Excessively Rabid Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:23 pm
IL politicians gamble with our tax dollars, so why not make sports gambling legal for everyone? And tax it!

Comment by Wensicia Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:23 pm
you pick a player, but how they do depends on things that ovcure after they are selected. so it is random chance on the performamce stats. its gambling

Comment by Ghost Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:27 pm
They weren’t banned in Nevada, they were just defined as gambling, so they have to have a gaming license to operate in that state. I don’t think Illinois has that kind gaming license, so yes, they would be operating illegally. They should either be shut down, or Illinois can create a license to allow them to operate. Given the pace at which gaming legislation moves in Illinois they can probably expect that license sometime in 2025.

Comment by Jaded Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:30 pm
These websites are no different than horse racing. There is a lot more skill required to correctly handicap a horse race than to conclude that Gronkowski is going to get a lot of fantasy points.

Comment by tominchicago Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:30 pm
Only banned if venture capitalists are. Otherwise they both need a license to operate legally. Right Bruce?

Comment by Jorge Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:36 pm
Legal but ban the commercials. Way too many on tv to the point they’re annoying.

Let’s remove the federal prohibition on sports books outside Nevada while we are at it.

Comment by Anon2U Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:38 pm
If you want to say gambling, that would be the lottery and slot machines. No skill and you need an incredible amount of luck.

You pull somebody off the street who never follows the NFL and somebody who follows it closely, have them play 10 times on Draft Kings and the guy in the know wins almost every time. That is skill.

Poker is skill, anyone who plays it, knows it. Anyone who says otherwise, is wrong or never has played.

Comment by anon Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:51 pm
i voted to ban them, but perhaps i should have voted to allow them, subject to all the gambling operator requirements. were is lou to tell me what to do?

the lottery doesnt pay off, but they continue to advertise and take money in. we have 21,000 video machines, casinos, tracks, but we need more.

Comment by Langhorne Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 4:54 pm
License and tax, have a mechanism to enforce and make them pay.

Comment by DuPage Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 5:04 pm
This would basically make online gambling available to our children and grandchildren over 18 or 21 in the comfort of their/our homes.

Comment by Enviro Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 5:08 pm
You Bet.

IL needs the taxes and the licensing fees. Go get ‘em!

Comment by sal-says Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 5:10 pm
Regulate and collect taxes. Provide consumer protection if necessary

Comment by plutocrat03 Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 5:12 pm
I didn’t vote because I have a female companion and don’t have a dog in this fight.

Comment by PENSIONS ARE OFF LIMITS Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 5:33 pm
Legal and tax. We are going to have to replace lost revenue from fewer license plate renewals.

Comment by Blue dog dem Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 5:44 pm
The option we are given is yes or no, so I put yes.

However, these games are gambling, and they should be regulated and taxed.

Comment by a modest proposal Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 5:59 pm
I would happily vote to declare all such fantasy football gambling illegal in Illinois if only to end the constant barrage of nonstop commercials on the Internet, radio and television.

Comment by After Further Review Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 6:31 pm
All vice is good, so long as it can be taxed.

Comment by dupage dan Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 6:43 pm
They are taxed, you win, you owe the tax

Comment by Anon Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 6:49 pm
Lottery stock market fan duel it all the same. If u want to risk your money then go ahead. It the American way. There are more important things going on like a budget

Comment by regular democrat Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 7:09 pm
For crying out loud, Nevada wants them shut down because they have legal sports books. They cut into business.

Fantasy sports is huge — it ain’t going anywhere. Only a chump would want to shut them down. Let’s get a piece of the action.

No.

Comment by Wordslinger Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 7:56 pm
I vote no. At least they pay the winners unlike the Illinois lottery.

Comment by 13thone Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 7:59 pm
No. There are a lot of gambling games that involve skill.

Comment by Pius Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 9:27 pm
Yes. How do you know they’re fair? Ban the ubid type sites while your at it too..

Comment by Mouthy Monday, Oct 19, 15 @ 10:02 pm
I believe that all sports gambling should be legal in all states, and be taxed and regulated. It would take the criminal element bookies out of the picture and generate enough revenue to get the whole country out of debt. But, NO MORE FANTASY COMMERCIALS, PLEASE!!!!!

Comment by Big Joe Tuesday, Oct 20, 15 @ 9:19 am