The state of Massachusetts is considering a new provision that would ban people under the age of 21 from playing paid fantasy sports games. The regulations were laid out by the state’s Attorney General Maura Healey.
The new law would also ban fantasy competitions based on sports played at the college and high school levels. Furthermore, professional athletes and their agents would not be allowed to play fantasy sports.
Healy said, “These are games that you carry around with you in your pocket and lose money at the touch of a button. This is an important step to protect consumers here in Massachusetts.”
For now, the proposals will be submitted to the Massachusetts Secretary of the State William Galvin. From there, they will be subject to a public comment period before they can be taken into effect.
The approach being taken by Massachusetts is considerably more reserved than that of New York, where attorney general Eric Schneiderman is trying to outlaw the games entirely.
According to Healey, it is unclear whether or not daily fantasy sports are illegal. Statistics show that Massachusetts has the ninth largest number of players of fantasy sports in the country.
A spokesperson for the popular daily fantasy sports website DraftKings said that the company would immediately begin taking steps to be compliant with the new rules if they go into effect.
DraftKings said in a statement, “We appreciate that, in addition to Attorney General Healey, a number of state regulators and other authorities are taking a reasoned approach to the Fantasy Sports industry that considers the interests of sports fans.”
Other major daily fantasy sports website FanDuel has not yet commented on the issue.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has stated that daily fantasy sports are not a form of illegal gambling, but rather they represent a game of skill. Baker says that he actually participated in a free contest of DraftKings’ last weekend. Baker is a republican, while Healey is a Democrat.
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