Texas Joins the List of US States Trying to Regulate DFS

The list of US states trying to regulate DFS just grew a little larger, as Texas has officially submitted a daily fantasy sports regulatory bill.

Texas State Representative Richard Pena Raymond is a man of his word. After vowing last year to introduce a DFS regulatory bill, he followed through this week and sent HB 1457 to the State Senate. This bill aims to allow a fantasy sports cash operator to award cash prizes “based on the relative knowledge and skill of the contest participants and based predominantly on accumulated statistical results.”

Most US states trying to regulate DFS call for players to be over the age of 18 to participate in daily fantasy sports contests for money, and Texas is no different.

One interesting note about HB 1457 is that it does not mention any DFS license or tax fees. This could be troublesome for legislation. This will bill take effect immediately if approved by two-thirds of Texas’ legislative chambers.

What DFS options are available in Texas now?

In January 2016, Texas state attorney Ken Paxton stated his nonbinding opinion that online daily fantasy sports sites in the US are illegal inside Texas as they are games of chance. Not long after this, FanDuel stopped operating inside the state.

A number of other major US DFS sites still operate here and are of the belief that daily fantasy sports are a game of skill and are therefore “perfectly legal under Texan law.” If US gambling news is made and HB 1457 is passed, it seems likely that FanDuel will return to the state.

Texas is the one of the latest additions to US states trying to regulate DFS. Will they succeed? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment below, and make sure to check out FanDuel to find a full list of amazing fantasy sport contests.