NJ lawmakers urge review of fantasy sports leagues

Two members of New Jersey's congressional delegation are pushing for federal authorities to take a closer look at fantasy sports leagues. Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Frank Pallone spoke Tuesday outside

News 12 Staff

Oct 14, 2015, 2:03 AM

Updated 3,256 days ago

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Two members of New Jersey's congressional delegation are pushing for federal authorities to take a closer look at fantasy sports leagues.
Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Frank Pallone spoke Tuesday outside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
Both wrote to the Federal Trade Commission last week urging it to review whether there are adequate safeguards for fantasy football league players.
"I don't think anyone anticipated these daily games, let alone for it to turn into a multibillion-dollar industry with prizes up to $2 million and partners that include NFL and ESPN," said Sen. Menendez.
Recently there have been questions about whether employees at FanDuel and DraftKings, two of the more popular sites, have benefited from inside information to win large sums of money.
"This is unregulated. It's the Wild West," said Rep. Pallone. "You don't know, based on what we found out last week, whether you're playing a fair bet of if someone is taking advantage."
Menendez and Pallone say it's hypocritical for unregulated fantasy sports leagues to be legal, while wagering on individual games remains illegal.
Both men support Gov. Chris Christie's attempts to make sports gambling legal in New Jersey.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.