The future of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) isn’t looking any clearer as the industry anxiously awaits a ruling from Justice Manuel Mendez of the New York State Supreme Court on their legality.
This week had previously been pegged as the most significant week yet in the ongoing debate of DFS with Justice Mendez expected to give his verdict after leading DFS sites DraftKings and FanDuel challenged cease and desist letters sent by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
As of this morning, there had been no further news from Justice Mendez despite him promising two weeks ago that he would deliver his verdict “very soon.”
This week also saw an Assembly Committee on Racing and Wagering convene to discuss DFS in which New York politicians gave their views on whether or not it should be considered legal.
Adding further confusion to the matter were comments by New York Assemblyman and Chairman of the Racing and Wagering Committee Gary Pretlow who expressed his opinion that DFS does constitute gambling under current New York law. He also showed support for Schneiderman, suggesting that the Attorney General would not have sent cease and desist letters if they had no basis.
However, Pretlow concluded by claiming that even if Justice Mendez ruled DFS illegal, “We’ll do something probably to legalize it.”
It seems that, for now at least, we’re no closer to clarity on the issue.
