Daily Fantasy Sports : Sports, Money, And A Lack Of Commitment

Have you ever participated in a paid fantasy sports league? If so, you have participated in a form of gambling. The definition of gambling is “to play games for a chance of money”, which by playing in a paid fantasy sports league people are doing so. Today I will argue the topic of considering fantasy sports a form of gambling, and that teenagers should not partake in paid leagues if gambling remains illegal for anyone under 21. One out of every five sports fan has participated in a paid fantasy sports league in the last five years. So therefore one in five sports fans has participated in a form of gambling even though some deny it. Paid fantasy sports leagues are a form of gambling therefore they should diminish.

Gambling is a common practice throughout human history, one that appeals to the individual’s desire for gain and offers the thrill of risk or uncertainty. Sports gambling is the “wagering of money or other items of value on the outcome of a sporting event, dependent either wholly or in part on chance” (Thompson, 2008, p. 1). Sports gambling generates billions of dollars annually, with large events like the Super Bowl or World Series alone able to generate wagers in the billions of dollars. This research will explore the arguments of those who oppose sports gambling and those who support it in order to answer the question: Should sports gambling be legalized?

I would like to start off by explaining what fantasy football is and how it works. Fantasy football is all about constructing a virtual team made up of NFL players. At the start of any football season, everyone who want to be in the fantasy league gets together to have a draft. These team owners proceed to pick NFL players that they want for their team. Depending on what league someone is in determines what type of players an owner can put on their team. Typically a starting team will consist of one quarterback, a couple receivers and running backs, a kicker, a tight end, and a team defense. The owner with the first pick starts, this is usually the manager of the league. After he picks a player from the NFL, the next owner will pick a player and it goes down the line until all the owners have one player on their team. To make this process fair the owner with the last pick gets the first pick in the second round of the draft and then it will go up the line to the owner who had the first pick, and after the owner with

Gambling is perceived in very different ways by its participants and affected parties. There is a stricter and no tolerance view practiced by the National Collegiate Athletics Association [NCAA] whose role is to govern college athletics. A study conducted by (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) points out that “…the NCAA membership adopted bylaw 10.3 that prohibits athletics department staff and student-athletes from engaging in gambling activities that relate to intercollegiate or professional sport events.” As stated earlier, the individuals mentioned in The NCAA’s bylaw are not the only people participating in sports related gambling activities. Furthermore these individuals, consisting of college students (student-athletes and non participants), and fans also partake in gambling activities unrelated to sports. Their perception of gambling seems less strict than the NCAA. Previously stated, it is viewed as fun, a way to win money, for excitement or entertainment for student-athletes. This view is also shared by college students that are non participants and fans. Another perspective of a non participant or fan on sports gambling suggested by (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) states that there are some “…sports fan who might gamble on sports as a way of “being in the game.” In addition, (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) mentioned that this attitude may stem from there being

Why should we acknowledge and embrace the notion of fantasy football now? It is changing the landscape of football fans. More and more fans that are hooked on the sport owe their new hobby to fantasy football. The prospect of winning your league’s championship, the entry fees

The concept of gambling has been around since the 1600’s when the original thirteen colonies had their own individual lotteries where people viewed gambling as a “civic responsibility” to play. These lotteries helped establish multiple universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and William and Mary. Gambling has been legal and then banned several times in three different eras; the first era in the 1600’s to mid-1800’s, the second in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, and finally the mid 1900’s to present day where some types of gambling remain legal. Throughout multiple decades, people have constantly bickered back and forth stating their opinions on what defines gambling, and if it should be illegal or legal. More importantly, all types of gambling should be legalized in the United States since multiple types of gambling already exist and are considered legal, it’s improper to permit some and leave others out. Moreover, gambling stimulates the economy by bringing tourism to the area and creating jobs for those in need of one, as well as, making revenue from taxes, benefiting the state and local government.

“We do not want our games to be used as bait to sell gambling,” NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said. “We have to make it clear to the athletes, the fans and the public, gambling is not a part of sport, period.”

In this week's Sports Business Journal an article that really stuck with me was the “Daily fantasy ad buys makes NFL a big winner” I am just learning about sport fantasy so the information given was a very interesting insight. Fantasy is a newer concept that has only been around for a couple of years, yet it is a fast growing market. One of the big reasons that I think this market is picking up such momentum is because it is on a personal level where you make the decisions. However for business and marketing this is a terrific opportunity to doing things like ads because of the number in the audience that you would be reaching. In the article is states that “ fantasy companies has added more than $200 million in ad sales revenue for the NFL’s

“According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, there are now 33 million people playing fantasy football each year.” (Steinberg) Fantasy Football is one of the biggest phenomenons in the United States; it is an interactive online game where the users interact with one another as coaches of their specifically drafted football team. The users get to pick the NFL players they want through their very own draft. Their players earn points depending on how they play in reality. Fantasy Football has become one of the most frequently used and convenient way for fans to know the stats of their favorite players.

How it works is the game puts you the player as the general manager of your team, and coach of your team. You are provided with a list of players from which ever sport your playing. The players you have selected then compete on a weekly basis for your team. Their on field performance drives your fantasy points, and overall success.Though this isn’t gambling on a live game, its still profit being made over a sports related activity. According to the article sportingnews.com wrote; thousands of people lose thousands of dollars a year on fantasy sports .

Over the last couple years, Fantasy Football has become much more popular than ever before, more and more people are joining online

Per 2006, the federal Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), the fantasy sports has been provided safe passage and distinguished from the online gambling. However, in some of the states has legal restriction and regulation on online sports fantasy (Klein, 2014). Our marketing strategy and integrated communication will follow the legal guidelines to avoid any alleged violations of federal regulations and state anti-gambling

Robert Kiyosaki once said, “Successful people take big risks knowing they might fall hard but they might succeed more than they ever dreamed.” This man is a billionaire that hit the jackpot, while gambling. He now owns eleven different businesses and he is worth over eighty million dollars. If someone could learn how to astute, they could live like him too. The articles, The Legalized Gambling Debate, Sports Betting Should be Legal, and Should Sports Gambling be Legal?, all attribute thought to this suggestion. Gambling is a feasible business as it provides revenue, sponsors education, and inspires gamblers.

FanDuel and DraftKings announced this week have hired outside law firms to review their internal controls against fraud and have since forbidden employees to play fantasy games for money.

Fantasy Football is a game that belongs to a billion-dollar industry called fantasy sports wherein players, aptly called team owners, can acquire or draft an entire team of real-life professional football players. Arranged into leagues that mimic real ones, Fantasy Football participants gain score points through statistical capabilities or performances of the real world players which are included in the fantasy rosters of the respective owners.