AG Maura Healey Meets with DraftKings: ‘We’re Hearing Them Out’
Photo via AP
After telling reporters last week her office was reviewing the legality of DraftKings, State Attorney General Maura Healey says she met with representatives of the Boston-based daily fantasy sports site.
“DraftKings actually came to our office and wanted to reach out and talk to us about a new industry, so we heard them out, we’re hearing them out on it, and as I said, we’re just looking to learn more,” Healey told reporters Monday.
DraftKings, headquartered in Post Office Square and valued at over $1 billion, has been amassing venture capital while attracting 1 million new customers this month alone, increasing its customer base to 4.5 million users. This recent success in thanks in part to an aggressive advertising campaign targeting football fans each Sunday.
“The goal was to bring more fans to the site, and that has happened in a big way,” CMO Janet Hollian told Boston magazine last week.
Daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and New York-based competitor FanDuel operate under a loophole in the Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which outlaws online poker but permits fantasy play. Massachusetts lawmakers legalized casino gambling in 2011.
Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. of New Jersey has called for a hearing on the legality of fantasy sports before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, only after being “inundated” by DraftKings ads. “Fans are currently allowed to risk money on the performance of an individual player. How is that different than wagering money on the outcome of a game?” Pallone said in a statement.
Previously, State House News Service asked Healey whether Draft Kings is an “illegal sports betting” operation or a “new, cool” business. “The point is this: This is a new industry. It’s something that we’re reviewing, and we’ll learn more about it,” Healey said.
