New York Residents May Be Banned from Playing Fantasy Horse Racing

New York lawmakers have reached an agreement that will allow residents of the state to legally play the popular Daily Fantasy Sports games such as FanDuel and DraftKings. The fantasy websites had been shut down in New York in March due to an on-going dispute with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who was concerned that they were illegal.

The bill must still be approved by both houses and signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. There appears to be some chance it will not be passed by the State Assembly.

While the bill may be good news for sports fans who like to play fantasy games involving the major sports, the bill bans fantasy games involving horse racing, a bizarre twist considering that betting on horses is already legal. The bill specifically prohibits fantasy games involving collegiate and high school athletic events and horse racing. It does not provide any explanation why fantasy racing would be banned.

Mark Midland, who operates Derby Wars, the leading horse racing fantasy site, said that if the New York bill passes, his company will still have contests involving races held in New York, but New York residents will no longer be allowed to have Derby Wars accounts.

“With over 50 million Americans playing fantasy sports, we continue to believe that fantasy horse racing contests are an excellent opportunity to bring new fans into horse racing,” Midland said. “Horse racing is currently in decline, and only new innovation is going to create growth in the industry.”