Daily Fantasy Sports in Alabama Officially Illegal

After the attorney general’s official opinion on the matter of daily fantasy sports in Alabama, sites like DraftKings and FanDuel were asked to stop all operations in the state.

Attorney General Luther Strange has determined the illegality of daily fantasy sports in Alabama. Based on Alabama gambling laws “an activity constitutes illegal gambling if a person stakes something of value on a contest of chance, even when skill is involved, in order to win a prize.”

DraftKings, FanDuel and other daily fantasy sports operators“claim that they operate legally under Alabama law,” puts the official press release. However, after reviewing Alabama gambling laws, Strange determined that, “paid daily fantasy sports contests are in fact illegal gambling under Alabama law.”

Say goodbye to daily fantasy sports in Alabama

Strange admitted that there’s a certain measure of skill involved in daily fantasy sports. However, he also highlighted that there are several factors in fantasy contests that depend only on chance. In the end, all paid games that involve the element of chance befit the definition of gambling in Alabama.

The Attorney General’s office have issued cease and desist letters to DraftKings and FanDuel. Both operators have to stop accepting Alabama daily fantasy sports players until May 1, 2016. Following this measure, Alabama became the 12th state where daily fantasy sports were deemed illegal.

Click here to read our overview of Alabama gambling laws!