New York Gaming Commission faces legal action over DFS

The New York Gaming Commission and Governor Andrew Cuomo have both been named as defendants in a lawsuit regarding the US state’s legislature authorisation of daily fantasy sports (DFS).

According to reports in the US, Stop Predatory Gambling (SPG), a lobby group working against government-sponsored gaming, filed the lawsuit in Albany on behalf of four New York residents it said have been harmed by gambling addiction.

In a statement, SPG said that individual donors and citizen groups in New York helped raise the funds to launch legal action, adding that it “does not accept any financial contributions from gambling interests”.

“The plaintiffs seek to protect the public from predatory gambling consistent with the constitution,” said attorney Neil Murray, who is representing the plaintiffs. However, DFS operators DraftKings and FanDuel have responded to the case by speaking out in support of both the Commission and Cuomo. In a joint statement, the companies said: “The state constitution specifically gives the legislature the power to define what is, and what is not gambling, and the legislature has done so a number of times in the past…This is a layup. They have no case.” Related article: New York DFS bill may be challenged