 |
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fourth Legislature, Second Regular Session
fantasy sports competitions; definition
Purpose
Excludes fantasy competitions from the definition of gambling and defines fantasy competitions.
Background
Arizona's Criminal Code prohibits: 1) promotion of gambling, except for amusement gambling, regulated gambling or social gambling; and 2) benefiting from gambling, except for amusement gambling or regulated gambling (A.R.S. §§ 13-3303 and 13-3304). Gambling means an act of risking or giving something of value for the opportunity to obtain a benefit from a game or contest of chance or skill or a future contingent event but does not include bona fide business transactions that are valid under the law of contracts (A.R.S. § 13-3301).
Except for pari-mutuel wagering on horse races, a person may not engage in the business of betting and wagering, for a fee, property, salary or reward, on the result or purported result of a race, sporting event, contest or other game of skill or chance or any other unknown future event or occurrence (A.R.S. § 13-3305).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Excludes fantasy competitions from the definition of gambling.
2. Defines fantasy competitions as a fantasy or simulated sports or educational game or contest involving a fantasy team that is not based on current membership of an actual team that is a member of an amateur or professional sports organization.
3. Requires, for qualification as a fantasy competition:
a) prizes and awards to be established and made known in advance; and
b) prize and award values to not be determined by the number of participants or the amount of fees participants pay.
4. Requires, for qualification as a fantasy competition, winning outcomes to:
a) reflect participants' relative knowledge and skill;
b) be determined by accumulated statistical results of the performance of individuals in multiple real-world sporting events or other events;
c) not be based on the score, point spread or performance of a real-world team or combination of teams; and
d) not be based solely on an individual athlete's single performance in a real-world sporting or other event.
5. Makes technical and conforming changes.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 4, 2020
LB/gs