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Indiana may consider regulating daily fantasy sports sites

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Indiana lawmakers are considering the possibility of regulating daily fantasy sports sites.

State Rep. Alan Morrison of Terre Haute says Hoosiers are currently allowed to play those sites, but the state has no control over who can offer the games.

“We’ve seen several states across the country trying to regulate this or some ban it entirely, like Arizona,” Morrison said Wednesday at the Bingham Greenebaum Doll Legislative Conference. “The attorney general of Indiana hasn’t offered an opinion on this and it has been left up to the General Assembly. I think it’s time to do something.”

Morrison says he will author a bill that would add basic consumer protectors and transparency to the sites. He also would like to see the fantasy firms register with the state and pay an annual fee. A final component of the bill would allow Indiana’s casino’s to offer their own daily fantasy sports options or partner with prominent fantasy sites.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports the popularity of daily fantasy sites has exploded recently. Legal battles are underway in several states as officials attempt to determine whether the contests are legal and if they should be subject to regulation as a form of gambling.

Representatives of popular sites FanDuel and DraftKings argue daily fantasy contests are games of skill, not games of chance, and are thus exempt from federal bans on online sports betting.