Louisiana fantasy sports bill scuppered in Senate

Legislation encountered opposition on the Senate floor after passing House Committee vote, may return for the start of the next legislative session

The prospect of Louisiana legalizing daily fantasy sports this year has suffered a major setback after a bill seeking to permit the activity was deferred beyond the current legislative session. [private]

The bill, HB 475, was tabled by Rep. Joseph Lopinto back in April in a bid to classify the fantasy sports as a game of skill, and was referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

The bill cleared the Committee with a 71-20 vote in favour of its passage last month, and was referred to the Senate where it encountered opposition from land-based lobbyists and the Louisiana Family Forum.

Faced with mounting opposition Rep. Lopinto took the decision to voluntarily defer the bill, taking it out of play for the current legislative session but not ruling out a return next year.

The news comes shortly after Kansas became the latest state to explicitly legalize fantasy sports after Governor Brownback signed a bill into law that reclassified the activity as a game of skill.

Kansas and Louisiana were among a number of states, including Washington and Montana, seeking to legalize fantasy sports despite a carve-out in UIGEA 2006 classifying it as a game of skill.