Super Bowl 2015 Not So Super For Fantasy Sports Leagues
According to the law, they can’t offer any Super Bowl action
The Super Bowl is annually the biggest betting day of the year for casino sportsbooks in Las Vegas.
More money will be wagered on that one game at the sportsbooks than any other sporting event of the year.
Millions of dollars will be wagered.
And around the USA, including online betting, betting with illegal bookies and the ubiquitous Super Bowl office pools, billions of dollars will be wagered.
So you might think that the Super Bowl will also be a banner day for the many fantasy sports leagues that have popped up--and cleaned up--in recent years.
You would be wrong.
In fact, not only will the Super Bowl not be the biggest day of the year for fantasy leagues, it won't even be the smallest day.
It will be no day at all.
Because under the Federal law that regulates sports fantasy play and makes it legal--the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act or UIGEA, passed in 2006--sports fantasy is only allowed when the play is based on multiple games.
Sports fantasy play may not be based on the results of a single contest, such as the Super Bowl, because fantasy is supposed to be an excercise in skill, not luck.
Over multiple games, the thinking goes, skill will be more of a factor in achieving success and luck will matter less.
So the fantasy leagues are out of luck, as least as far as offering any action on the Big Game is concerned.
Gambling 911 contacted a number of fantasy sports league representatives to find out their plans for Super Bowl XLIX (49), which is to take place February 1 in suburban Phoenix.
"Since compliance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act stipulates that the outcome of a fantasy game must be dependent on multiple sports events, we do not offer NFL contests covering the Super Bowl," said Michael Santore of Draftster.com.
"We will not have Super Bowl contests," said Ben Lipson of SportsTradex.com.
"Since we can’t run a fantasy contest for a single game, we are unable to run any contests for the Super Bowl," said Seth Young of StarFantasyLeagues.com.
Other reps made similar comments.
Young, however, vowed not to take fantasy's Super Bowl ban lying down.
"Next year, we plan to run a very interesting contest format that will incorporate the Super Bowl," he told Gambling 911, declining to give details.
By Tom Somach
Gambling 911 Staff Writer
