Texas AG Asked to Decide if Fantasy Sports Sites Violate Texas Law

Days after New York's attorney general declared daily fantasy sports sites to be illegal gambling, a Texas lawmaker has asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to weigh in on whether websites such as DraftKings.com and FanDuel.com are legal in Texas.

State Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, sent a request to Paxton Thursday asking him about the two leading fantasy sports sites, in which participants pay entry fees to assemble fantasy teams using real athletes. Both sites have faced charges that they are no different from other online gambling sites that are already deemed illegal in most of the country. Supporters have argued that the sites oversee games that involve more skill than luck.

Along with asking about the legality of the sites, Crownover also raised a broader question about the legality of fantasy sports betting, asking Paxton to rule on whether it's "legal to participate in fantasy sports leagues where the house does not take a 'rake' and the participants only wager amongst themselves."

Both DraftKings and FanDuel are currently fighting shutdown orders in New York. The sites have also been declared illegal in Iowa, Louisiana, Washington State, Arizona and Montana, according to the New York Times.