Fantasy Football Players Throw Flag On Government's Unnecessary Regulation

Legal Issues

from the instant-replay dept

College students dependent on their online poker winnings to pay tuition aren’t the only group concerned about a new law that would crack down on internet gambling. Fantasy football players are concerned that the bill would prevent websites from running fantasy leagues that had cash prizes. They’ve even launched their own lobbying group called the Fantasy Sports Association, which is bankrolled by the National Football League Players Association. Remember, the players and the leagues believe they are entitled to license revenue from fantasy leagues that use player names and statistics, so they have an interest in ensuring that fantasy sports remains a big business. This arrangement itself is based on the dubious idea that they can prevent others from using their player names and statistics — both of these things seem to fall into the category of facts, which can’t be copyrighted. On the issue of whether fantasy sports should be subject to anti-gambling laws (or whether poker should be for that matter), there are all kinds of sound objections that could be made. But as long as lawmakers get a kick out of being arbitrary, more groups are going to learn how to play the lobbying game.