The controversy surrounding the legality of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) reached another milestone Saturday as a new lawsuit filed in Florida named approximately 50 companies and individuals who have invested in DFS companies or facilitated its gaming.
According to Sports Illustrated, the 132-page complaint named the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball Ventures, National Hockey League Ventures and Major League Soccer as defendants in the case.
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Others include:
- The Kraft Group (owned by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft), Legends Hospitality (co-owned by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the New York Yankees) and MSG Sports and Entertainment (owned by New York Knicks owner James Dolan)
- Turner Sports, Time Warner, NBC Sports Comcast Ventures, 21st Century Fox and Fox Sports Interactive Media
- Visa, MasterCard and American Express
- J.P. Morgan, Capital One Bank, Google Capital, Piton Capital and Scottish Investment Bank
- PayPal, Paysafe and Vantiv (payment processors)
- DraftKings, FanDuel and Jason Robins
The prosecutors claim that DFS gaming companies DraftKings and FanDuel have engaged in illegal gambling and deceptive practices and that the investors failed to realize they were partnering with illegal gambling operations.
The lawsuit comes just days after the New York state attorney general ordered DFS industry leaders DraftKings and FanDuel to cease operations within the state, ruling that contests offered by the companies constitute illegal gambling under New York law.
Both companies are expected to challenge the attorney general's decision in court. The daily fantasy sports industry has long contended that contests are a game of skill and, therefore, were exempt from a 2006 federal law against online wagering.