For my research topic I have decided to focus on the operation of online fantasy sports such as Fanduel and Draftkings and whether or not they should be fully legal in the United States. Currently these online games are legal in forty-five of fifty states. Recently the legality of these games has been challenged in the state of New York spurring much controversy over the issue. I chose this topic since it is somewhat related to my major of Sports management and my interest in playing fantasy football. While I have personally never placed any money on the line for a fantasy team I know many people that have and I personally see no problem with it. The online games are not recognized as gambling, but they come extremely close which is why there is such a legal uproar against them. Again I have no predisposition against gambling in fact I am for it more than anything as it is something everyone usually partakes in at one point in their life. Since I have no problem with gambling I certainly do not have a problem with these games that are not actually gambling, and the research I present will help me legitimize the legality of these games.

In the first article "Texas Attorney General Thinks DraftKings, FanDuel Are Illegal In Lone Star State" is fairly self-explanatory. The attorney general of Texas has followed in the wake of New York's attorney general however this event is much more recent. The attorney general defines what is considered gambling and what constitutes as a bet in the state and how online daily fantasy does not quite fall under these definitions directly. There is even recognition of skill in such games; however, the attorney general explains that if any form a chance may affect the outcome it is considered illegal gambling. The article expresses the attorney general's opinion on the matter, but it states that there is no intent on commencing the shutdown of such games in the state. The article presents the interests of the legal side of the situation and does not address the response or feelings that the companies of these online fantasy leagues have toward these allegations. The final paragraph of the article discusses a possible approach that the government may take, and shows a bias outlook on what should be done.

The next article "Leagues See Real Benefits in Daily Fantasy Sports" takes a different approach to the issue. One of the main stakeholders in the issue of daily fantasy sports is the leagues that the games are based off of. Four years ago almost every major American sports league was against online fantasy, now they all have deals with these companies. The primary concern four years ago was that people would care less about their favorite teams and more about players making them money. Now many leagues have realized that people care more about watching games if there is money on the line. This in turn causes viewing to go up making commercials for live events worth more causing a increase in revenue for leagues like the NFL and NBA. The commissioner of the NBA has even called for the legalization of sports based gambling in the United States. The article is written by an author that has previously worked for USA Today specifically in sports related articles giving him experience on such issues, however there is obvious bias in the article. The title alone suggests that the author clearly supports legalizing these games fully and even sports gambling as a whole as he points out the positive impact gambling has on sports as a whole.

The final article "How the Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Turns Fans Into Suckers" is a more personal experience in the world of daily fantasy sports. The author Jay Caspian Kang talks about his gambling addiction and how daily fantasy helped him somewhat quell the addiction. He claims to have lost nearly $2,000 since the NFL season started. He talks about the flaws of daily fantasy and how it is stacked against a new player also known as a "fish" in favor of a veteran player known as a "shark". It is said that companies like Fanduel are more interested in protecting their shark players rather than the fish. The writer also talks about a recent scandal that broke out causing a Draftkings employee to win $350,000 on Fanduel. This resulted in people questioning the legitimacy of such companies and the author uses this main event as the main point of his argument. Of all other authors this one is the most credible as he has personal experience with the issue.

The exigence is arguable in this case because many people are still torn on whether or not daily fantasy sports are actually gambling. People must be convinced that these are not the average form of games of chance such as slots and that there is an actual skill level required. A main agreement is that all of these games require some skill. The major disagreement is what level of skill constitutes these games as illegal gambling. I still feel that these games are fine and since they have a positive impact on the marketing of live sports they help the field of sports overall, and just like regular gambling the people have a responsibility to not overplay the games. However the question may be rephrased from whether these online games should be legal to whether they are more beneficial or harmful to society.

