When does fantasy football become gambling?


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SALT LAKE CITY — Randy Hollis admits it: he is a big fan of fantasy football.

"I've been known to swear at the TV a time or two, yes," he said.

The Deseret News sportswriter and family man balances his passion for his five pretend teams by spending only an hour a week tracking player progress.

"I don't spend all my waking hours thinking about this stuff," Hollis said.

As any die-hard fantasy football fanatic will tell you, one needs to build in additional time each week to watch real football games.

"My wife, thankfully, she's a huge football fan. She'll sit and watch a game with me," Hollis said.

Living Room Leagues

For 20 seasons, Hollis has gathered with buddies who each create their own teams and draft real NFL players from different rosters.

"The draft is probably the funnest part because you've got 10 or 12 people sitting around a table. There's a lot of smack talk going back and forth," explained Hollis.

He says one downside to fantasy football is it can twist the way you watch the game.

"You don't really cheer for real teams anymore," he said. "You cheer for your players."

In Hollis' leagues, buddies pitch in around $40 each, points get tallied based on how players do, and when the NFL season wraps up the coach with the most points wins a pool of money.

"I guess it's a form of gambling, but a lot of what we do in daily life is a form of gambling," Hollis said. "Getting on I-15 at rush hour is a gamble, too."


I guess it's a form of gambling, but a lot of what we do in daily life is a form of gambling. Getting on I-15 at rush hour is a gamble, too.

–Randy Hollis


When KSL investigators contacted the Utah Attorney General's Office to ask if this type of fantasy sports play is legal under Utah law the office sent this response:

"...if/when the Office of the Attorney General receives a complaint and finds it formidable — our investigators and prosecutors review and make a legal determination. That's the process for making official legal determinations and clarifications to law. Accordingly, that's all we'll be able to provide on this."

After receiving that response, KSL investigators huddled with a former longtime prosecutor who said technically it could be considered gambling under Utah law. However, he quickly flagged his comments with a caveat, saying if it's contained to a few friends, family members, or coworkers it likely won't catch the interest of police or prosecutors.

(Photo: KSL-TV)
(Photo: KSL-TV)

Internet Blitz

The Internet has set off an online gold rush in fantasy sports.

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association says 56.8 million people play in North America. The average player spends $465 on a fantasy team every year. Companies such as FanDuel are blitzing TV sports with ads offering consumers a chance to play fantasy sports online.

Once again, KSL Investigators tackled the question: "Is this legal in Utah?"

"We researched and researched to try to find a law that addressed fantasy football itself, and couldn't find anything that addressed it specifically," said Jane Driggs of the Utah Better Business Bureau.


It's so new. It's a new nuance. It's a new twist because you're not actually gambling on a team.

–Jane Driggs, Utah Better Business Bureau


The BBB says it receives calls about fantasy sports from curious consumers.

"It's so new," Driggs said. "It's a new nuance. It's a new twist because you're not actually gambling on a team."

A spokeswoman for FanDuel told KSL investigators that federal law on online gambling explicitly makes fantasy sports legal. She said success hinges on one's knowledge of football and how well that person studies statistics to select athletes.

The company's website does not list Utah as a prohibited state.

In researching Utah law, KSL Investigators found the state prohibits internet gambling. Drafted with online poker in mind, the law makes no mention of fantasy football. KSL Investigators are not aware of any Utah prosecutors who've used it to go after online fantasy football customers.

This may help settle the score: a New Jersey Congressman is calling for a congressional review, saying the "legal landscape" governing fantasy sports remains murky.

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Debbie Dujanovic

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