Iowa Legislators to Vote on New Fantasy Sports Bill

Iowa Senator Jeff Danielson not giving up to daily fantasy betting bill (Image: CalvinAyre.com).

Iowa legislators could soon be voting on the new fantasy sports betting bill as Senator Jeff Danielson has made it clear he will not give up on his attempts to legalise DFS gambling in the state.

The Senator’s first such bill was not passed in the previous legislative season, but rather than being downhearted by the failed attempts, Danielson has decided to submit a changed bill for voting next January.

The 46-year-old points out that Iowa are one of mere six states that ban daily fantasy sports websites, and he believes it is high time the Hawkeye State came into the 21st century.

Danielson is ready to change certain provisions of his failed bill in an attempt to please the legislators, and he hopes his efforts will ultimately be rewarded.

The new legal framework will only allow persons aged 21 or higher to play at DFS websites, with the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in charge of regulating said operators.

Leading daily fantasy contest operators will be forced to pay a fee if they want to offer their services to residents of the state, who in turn will only pay taxes on winnings higher than $1,200, which is definitely good news for the players.

Provided the Congress passes the bill into law, Danielson hopes the changes will become effective in July 2017, but it would appear that he again faces an uphill struggle.

Namely, Iowa is a very conservative state where most people are very religious and are against lifting the ban or gambling or fantasy sports, and many of them do not believe that sports betting is a game of skill.

It remains to be seen whether Danielson can persuade members of the house that his fantasy sports betting bill should be passed into law in spite of the fact that such a scenario might not go down well with the general public, so this is definitely a story to keep an eye on in the following months.