Fantasy Football, a Skillful Art
Is fantasy football gambling? This debate that has been ongoing over the past couple of years and as more states try to profit from this booming industry, it is important to understand the premise of this debate and what sports’ gambling actually is. Webster defines gambling as “Playing games for the chance of winning money”; however, I will present information that argues that this is a game of skill and not one of chance. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 sets strict guidance on what is considered gambling when it comes to fantasy football. These regulations consist of the entry fee vs payouts, skill vs chance, and individual or team performance. As you will see the argument put forth by the …show more content…
This introduces the potential for “point Shaving” or “throwing games”. Advocates against the legitimacy of fantasy football conclude that this idea is present in fantasy football as well. In a debate article, the New York Times’ editorial board stated “That giving people more ways to bet on the outcome of sports, is sure to threaten the integrity of the game”( “Are Daily Fantasy Sports Gambling?’ 2015), my question to this statement is how? Fantasy football relies on statistical performance of players and not the team. Calculated scores are based upon statistical categories, i.e. Yards, touchdowns, catches, etc... By calculating one individual player score with the rest of the players on the roster determines your teams total score. The argument is that because the individual’s performance is utilized in the score than it violates the current law. The law states the “No winning outcome can be based on the score, points or performance of any ‘single’ real-world team or solely on a ‘single’ real-world performance by an individual athlete” (109th Congress, 2nd Sess. Sec. 101 (D) (ix)). Given that the individual performance is a factor, it isn’t solely based on a “single” individual’s performance but rather the collective of multiple players’ performance. Fantasy football has zero impact on real-life sports negating the argument presented that it can impact the outcome of real-life teams of individual performances. Not to mention those that would traditionally be against sports betting support fantasy sports. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association writes in an article published “Why Fantasy Sports is Not Gambling”, “It’s hard to find organizations that are more sensitive to the issues of sports gambling than the national football league. They support fantasy sports, help market fantasy sports to consumers and even
Is fantasy football gambling? This debate that has been ongoing over the past couple of years and as more states try to profit from this booming industry, it is important to understand the premise of this debate and what sports’ gambling actually is. Webster defines gambling as “Playing games for the chance of winning money”; however, I will present information that argues that this is a game of skill and not one of chance. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 sets strict guidance on what is considered gambling when it comes to fantasy football. These regulations consist of the entry fee vs payouts, skill vs chance, and individual or team performance. As you will see the argument put forth by the …show more content…
This introduces the potential for “point Shaving” or “throwing games”. Advocates against the legitimacy of fantasy football conclude that this idea is present in fantasy football as well. In a debate article, the New York Times’ editorial board stated “That giving people more ways to bet on the outcome of sports, is sure to threaten the integrity of the game”( “Are Daily Fantasy Sports Gambling?’ 2015), my question to this statement is how? Fantasy football relies on statistical performance of players and not the team. Calculated scores are based upon statistical categories, i.e. Yards, touchdowns, catches, etc... By calculating one individual player score with the rest of the players on the roster determines your teams total score. The argument is that because the individual’s performance is utilized in the score than it violates the current law. The law states the “No winning outcome can be based on the score, points or performance of any ‘single’ real-world team or solely on a ‘single’ real-world performance by an individual athlete” (109th Congress, 2nd Sess. Sec. 101 (D) (ix)). Given that the individual performance is a factor, it isn’t solely based on a “single” individual’s performance but rather the collective of multiple players’ performance. Fantasy football has zero impact on real-life sports negating the argument presented that it can impact the outcome of real-life teams of individual performances. Not to mention those that would traditionally be against sports betting support fantasy sports. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association writes in an article published “Why Fantasy Sports is Not Gambling”, “It’s hard to find organizations that are more sensitive to the issues of sports gambling than the national football league. They support fantasy sports, help market fantasy sports to consumers and even