For my research topic I have decided to look at why daily fantasy sports should or should not be legal. Daily fantasy sports were caught in the spotlight last October when the legality of the games was questioned in the state of New York. I have tried my hand at fantasy sports before which drives my interest in the topic. 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. It is the responsibility of the person playing the game to not overplay and find themselves in a financial dilemma. The online games are not recognized as gambling, but they come 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 that can be entertaining, and in some cases economically beneficial, as long as it is practiced responsibly. 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 as well as provide examples of benefits they provide.

In the first article "Texas Attorney General Thinks DraftKings, FanDuel Are Illegal In Lone Star State" is fairly self-explanatory. The article focuses on the Texas state attorney general's stance on daily fantasy sports, and its similarity to the stance of the New York state attorney general. 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. The attorney general states gambling would rely on chance, but if there is a form of skill required then it is not gambling. Notably the recognition of skill in these games is important for legal intentions. 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. Bias can be seen in the final paragraph as the author discusses what could be done to limit these games. Since the article is paraphrasing what it is the Texas attorney general was saying, and this man is a respected individual in decisions involving law I would say the source is a credible one.

The article "Leagues See Real Benefits in Daily Fantasy Sports" takes a financial approach to the industry of daily fantasy sports. Four years ago almost every major American sports league was against online fantasy, now they all have deals with these companies. Outlawing these games could have a heavy impact on the sports industry. 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 an 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.

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 and is in favor of more professional players that the companies have interest in keeping safe from losing. 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. However as someone that constantly plays these games he is biased toward them being legal.

The exigence is arguable in this case because there are two major points on the decision of the legality of daily fantasy sports. Firstly, it must be decided if these games are actually legal or not. Secondly, the possible benefits that daily fantasy sports present must be examined more closely.  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. 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. The question here would likely make the most impact if it were to focus on both the legal aspect and the possible benefits of daily fantasy sports.

