As the Colorado Division of Gaming continues the process of crafting its fantasy sports regulations, a representative from PrizePicks on Monday said the regulator had evolved from one of the “most progressive to one of the most restrictive regimes” in the country over the last year.
The comment from Josh Kirschner on behalf of PrizePicks came during a Division of Gaming rulemaking hearing Monday. It’s been five months since the state hired a new gaming chief after Dan Hartman retired. Colorado is the latest venue in which fantasy sports operators are fighting to have certain styles of pick’em contests included in rules across the country. In the last month, regulators in Michigan and New York have banned some pick’em contests, which they say too closely resemble sports betting.
Based on the latest proposed changes, it appears that Colorado is heading toward banning all kinds of fantasy pick’em contests, including single- and multi-player. The perceived problem is in customers playing against the house vs. other players.
In Michigan, fantasy contents are considered gray, meaning there are no regulations around them, but the Michigan Gaming Control Board on Oct. 11 voted to ban pick’em style games. In New York, where fantasy is regulated, the New York State Gambling Commission on Oct. 3 voted to ban some pick’em contests.