How the Daily Fantasy Sports Clampdown Could Affect Oregon

Rich Meneghello was quoted in the Portland Business Journal on December 24, 2015. The article “How the Daily Fantasy Sports Clampdown Could Affect Oregon” weighed in on Illinois most recent ruling in which daily fantasy sports games constitute a form of illegal gambling.

Rich provided insight on what sort of effect this ruling, and the others like it, will have on Oregon.

Not much, said Rich. The DraftKings and FanDuel ruling came as little surprise after New York issued a similar edict earlier this year, he added.

"These daily fantasy games are more like gambling than traditional fantasy sports like people play on ESPN or Yahoo," said Rich. "We'll probably see other state attorneys general do the same thing over the next few months, but the changes won't mean much to employers."

Or at least the ones that follow Rich’s advice: It's far better to worry more about productivity than, say, daily fantasy sports.

"Honestly, most employers are smart enough now to know that even if they threw up roadblocks, like using company equipment to participate, their employees would just use their smartphones," he said.

"As long as you create expectations for them and they meet those expectations, you shouldn't worry too much."

Rich said it's not clear whether Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum would join her fellow justice leaders in tightening Oregon's daily fantasy oversight.

"A lot of times, New York leads on these matters, but it's never easy to predict when (other state AGs) will follow," he said.

To read the full article, please visit Portland Business Journal [subscription required].