Is fantasy football gambling and illegal?

I am the commissioner for a couple fantasy football leagues. The entry fee for one of them is $100 for each of the 14 teams in the league and the payout for first place is about $500. I have a couple guys that are concerned that this will constitue gambling and they could get busted for it. I don't think it is gambling because it's not purely a game of chance and but is a game of skill. I did find the following information on what defines gambling (http://rose.casinocitytimes.com/articles/997.html)

Every jurisdiction has the right to define the three elements of gambling, Consideration, Prize and Chance, any way is sees fit.

1) Consideration usually means players must pay something of value to be eligible to participate.

2) Prize includes not only money, but anything of value.

3) Chance means the outcome is not determined by skill.

The first two we'd meet but the third one I don't think we would.

The players reside in Nebraska and Iowa. Can anyone tell me if fantasy football is considered gambling and if not, provide a source where I can prove it's not or if there is a precedent already been sent proving it's not considered gambling. I just can't imagine it is gambling when ESPN and others have you pay a fee and pay out a decent amount of money to play in their fantasy football leagues. On ESPN's web page for their legal disclaimer they have in caps: THIS IS A GAME OF SKILL.

http://games.espn.go.com/content/ffl/2003/rules?page=legal

Thanks!

Brian
[email protected]

guppick said:

I am the commissioner for a couple fantasy football leagues. The entry fee for one of them is $100 for each of the 14 teams in the league and the payout for first place is about $500. I have a couple guys that are concerned that this will constitue gambling and they could get busted for it. I don't think it is gambling because it's not purely a game of chance and but is a game of skill. I did find the following information on what defines gambling (http://rose.casinocitytimes.com/articles/997.html)

Every jurisdiction has the right to define the three elements of gambling, Consideration, Prize and Chance, any way is sees fit.

1) Consideration usually means players must pay something of value to be eligible to participate.

2) Prize includes not only money, but anything of value.

3) Chance means the outcome is not determined by skill.

The first two we'd meet but the third one I don't think we would.

The players reside in Nebraska and Iowa. Can anyone tell me if fantasy football is considered gambling and if not, provide a source where I can prove it's not or if there is a precedent already been sent proving it's not considered gambling. I just can't imagine it is gambling when ESPN and others have you pay a fee and pay out a decent amount of money to play in their fantasy football leagues. On ESPN's web page for their legal disclaimer they have in caps: THIS IS A GAME OF SKILL.

http://games.espn.go.com/content/ffl/2003/rules?page=legal

Thanks!

Brian
[email protected]

Click to expand...

**A: read the red words at the top of the page.