Kansas House Vote on Legalizing Fantasy Sports Likely Today

TOPEKA, Kansas — (Associated Press) - The Kansas House has postponed a vote on a bill that would define fantasy sports as legal.

The chamber passed over the bill in its schedule Wednesday, but a spokeswoman for House Speaker Ray Merrick said it would be addressed on Thursday.

The measure would clarify an ongoing dispute over the legal status of fantasy football. The state's gambling regulator announced in August it viewed private fantasy sports leagues as illegal lotteries. But Attorney General Derek Schmidt released an opinion in April asserting that they are legal games of skill.

About 41.5 million Americans spent an average of $111 on fantasy sports in 2014, according to data from the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.