We Are not Joking ,Pallone Calls for Congress to Investigate Fantasy football leagues

 On September 14th New Jersey’s own Congressmen Frank Pallone , sent a letter to his Republican counterparts on Monday, asking the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to “hold a hearing examining the relationship between professional sports and fantasy sports to review the legal status of fantasy sports and sports betting.” (https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/hearing%20request%20Fantasy%20Sport%20Sept14.2015.pdf )

Pallone called on Congress to investigate fantasy sports websites that have thus far evaded restrictions on online gambling. Pallone has cited FanDuel and DraftKings as particularly prominent daily fantasy sites. In a recent letter to Fred Upton Chair of the House Energy and Commerce committee  “Anyone who watched a game this weekend was inundated by commercials for fantasy sports websites, and it’s only the first week of the NFL season,” he said in a statement Monday. “These sites are enormously popular, arguably central to the fans’ experience, and professional leagues are seeing the enormous profits as a result. Despite how mainstream these sites have become, though, the legal landscape governing these activities remains murky and should be reviewed.” (https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/hearing%20request%20Fantasy%20Sport%20Sept14.2015.pdf )

Pallone also conjured concerns that players might use fantasy sports to bet on games. “Team involvement in daily fantasy sports also raises questions of whether players or league personnel, who may be able to affect the outcome of a game, should be allowed to participate in daily fantasy sports,” he wrote in a September 14 letter to his GOP counterparts on the committee. “Given the professional sports leagues professional players [sic] deep involvement with fantasy sports, this Committee, as the committee with jurisdiction over professional sports and gambling, should examine the relationship between fantasy sports and gambling and the relationships between professional sports leagues, teams, players, and fantasy sports operators.” (https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/hearing%20request%20Fantasy%20Sport%20Sept14.2015.pdf)