S-0466.1
SENATE BILL 5284
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State of Washington | 64th Legislature | 2015 Regular Session |
By Senators Roach, Fain, Hatfield, and Mullet
Read first time 01/19/15. Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.
AN ACT Relating to fantasy sports contests; adding a new section to chapter
9.46 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that United States unlawful internet gambling enforcement act specifically exempts fantasy sports contests from gambling regulations. Additionally, over forty states have similar statutes or interpretations and classify fantasy sports contests as contests of "skill," rather than classifying them as "gambling." Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to similarly classify fantasy sports as contests of skill, rather than gambling.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 9.46 RCW to read as follows:
(1) Fantasy competitions are considered by the state as games of skill and are specifically exempted from any classification as gambling.
(2) For the purposes of this section, "fantasy competitions" means any fantasy or simulated sports game or educational game or contest that involves a fantasy team that is not based on the current membership of an actual team that is a member of an amateur or professional sports organization and that meets the following conditions:
(a) All prizes and awards offered to winning participants are established and made known to the participants in advance of the game or contest and the value of the prizes and awards is not determined by the number of participants or the amount of any fees paid by those participants.
(b) All winning outcomes reflect the relative knowledge and skill of the participants and are determined predominantly by accumulated statistical results of the performance of individuals in multiple real world sporting or other events.
(c) A winning outcome is not based:
(i) On the score, point spread, or performance of any single real world team or any combination of teams; or
(ii) Solely on any single performance of an individual athlete in any single real world sporting or other event.
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