Controversies and challenges for daily fantasy sports
Americans watching the National Football League's first games have been inundated with ads for daily fantasy sports, a fast-growing online gaming industry now inking deals with some of the biggest names in media and sports.
But sites like DraftKings and FanDuel are also controversial, and some critics have questioned whether they're just a way of getting around online-gambling bans.
Q; How are the games played?
A: First, players choose one of the site's open games and pay an entry fee: Some cost 25 cents, some cost $5,000. The games come in all shapes and sizes _ some have 10 players, some take 600,000 _ and cover not just football, but baseball, soccer, NASCAR and golf.
Players then choose real-life athletes to build their fantasy team. Each athlete has a cost, and players can't go over their "salary cap." After the real-life games are over, the teams are scored on how well their athletes performed on the field. The winner gets the prize.
Q: How is this different from the fantasy football league at my workplace?
A: The traditional fantasy league lasts an entire season, and during those months some players might get discouraged, overwhelmed or bored. With daily fantasy sports, the commitment is much shorter: A day or week, instead of an entire season. Season-long fantasy games are a long-term investment; daily fantasy is a slot machine.
Q: How's this legal?
A: The games involve real people wagering real money, so you might think they'd be banned under the same law that cracked down on online poker.
But in that law, the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gaming and Enforcement Act, fantasy sports were specifically protected as games of skill, not chance. Fantasy-sports defenders say the players are being rewarded for their knowledge of picking players, not just paying up in hopes they'll get lucky.
When that law was passed, most fantasy sports involved small office leagues or online pools; daily fantasy sports, as they're played now, didn't exist yet.