Virginia DFS bill lands on governorâs desk
Daily fantasy sports bill clears Assembly with a 79-19 majority
A bill seeking to legalize daily fantasy sports (DFS) in Virginia has passed out of the Assembly and now sits on Governor Terry McAuliffeâs desk waiting to be signed into law. [private]
The bill, HB 775, cleared the Assembly with a 79-19 majority, and comes after companion legislation passed out of the Senate with a strong 28-10 majority last week.
If signed into law by Governor McAuliffe, the bill would exempt daily fantasy sports from prohibitive gambling law while establishing basic player protection measures.
Operators would be forced to register with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, paying a license fee of $50,000.
DFS employees would be barred from taking part in contests, while player funds would have to be segregated from operational accounts.
The bill sets a minimum player age limit of 18 years of age, and imposes a civil penalty of $1,000 per violation of its terms.
FanDuel praised the move and said progress in Virginia was being mirrored in other states such as California, Indiana and Florida.
âMore than 20 state legislatures are currently moving needed fantasy sports regulations,â the operator said in a statement.
âLast year, we called for our game to be regulated and millions of fans have been asking their elected officials to act â and now itâs happening.â
But while some states have moved to regulate DFS, others such as New York, Texas and Illinois have looked to block the activity and force sites to shut down.