The Political Push for a DFS Ban in New York is Hypocritical

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is on what seems like a never-ending crusade against daily fantasy sports. But why does a DFS ban in New York exist, and not bans on other forms of gambling?

It is no US gambling news that Schneiderman hates daily fantasy sports and is intent on bringing them down—at least in the state of New York. Since declaring them a form of illegal gambling, he’s gone on to decry them in courts as not games of skill, as operators FanDuel and DraftKings claim they are, but rather games of chance that can lead to gambling addiction and all other manners of social issues. Therefore, he argues, they must be stopped. There must be a DFS ban in New York.

Okay, so let’s say that DFS constitutes as a form of sports betting. Schneiderman believes that by taking down DFS, he’s saving New Yorkers from the “seedy”, deceitful world of gambling. How conveniently he forgets that there are so many—so many!—other ways in which New York residents can still try to make a quick buck. What about those?

There’s a DFS ban in New York, but no lottery ban or casino ban

It seems hypocritical that Schneiderman says that DFS is breaking US gambling laws, and must be completely banned, but other games of chance are permitted to exist. Despite having odds of 45 million to 1, and an arguably deceiving headline of “Hey, You Never Know,” New York’s state lottery continues to exist without a barrage of attacks from Schneiderman. And let’s not forget the state’s land-based casinos, of which there are over 20. I don’t see Schneiderman trying to “protect” anyone from them.

The man DFS fans love to hate, Eric Schneiderman (Photo: Vos Iz Neias)

Schneiderman says that there must be a ban on DFS in New York as they “are dangerous because they can be played rapidly and involve big prizes, and because of the perception that anybody can win.”

No, Schneiderman, they’re dangerous because you’re not making money off of them. Don’t pretend to ignore the fact that the state rakes in $3.2 billion a year from the gambling industry, and there are plans in the works to open up a number of new casinos. Schneiderman’s argument style of “But think of the children!” looks pretty sad when you consider how much of a revenue boost New York’s political establishment gets from gambling profits. Heck, I’d even bet it pays some of his salary.