Daily fantasy sports have exploded over the past year or two, but there are some states that have restricted this sort of gambling. FanDuel and DraftKings, the two largest daily fantasy sports sites, are currently restricted in Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada and Washington. Daily players have enjoyed the ability to play in Pennsylvania, but that could change this week. The legislation proposed by Rep. George Dunbar is slated for a committee vote next week in the state House of Representatives.

The proposal would reportedly shut out fantasy sites unless they come to a deal with state-licensed casinos. Pennsylvania wants a slice of the gambling revenue created by fantasy sites, most notably DraftKings and FanDuel. All gambling in the state is controlled by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, but obviously fantasy sites are not. In a nutshell, that is what the proposal wants to change.

According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA), 56 million people will play fantasy sports this year, a large increase from the 12 million in 2005. Dan Ellis, a senior accounting major, is one of those 56 million people who plays fantasy sports.

“I’ve been playing fantasy football for about five years now,” Ellis said. “I started playing on FanDuel last year, but I switched to DraftKings this fall.”

Ellis is one of many who started by playing traditional fantasy sports, but have since added the daily element to their fantasy repertoire. People play daily fantasy sports for the same reason they play traditional fantasy sports, for some friendly competition and to show that they are better than their friends. DraftKings and FanDuel have definitely taken advantage of that.

“It makes Sundays more exciting and it has changed the way I watch football,” Ellis said. “I definitely would be upset if the state took away something that has become a large part of my life.”

According to gambling industry analyst Eilers Research, daily fantasy sports websites are expected to generate $2.6 billion in entry fees in 2015. By 2020, that number is expected to increase to upwards of $14 billion. There are a lot of uncertainties moving forward involving daily fantasy sports, but one thing is for certain: People will continue to put their efforts into this money machine.

FanDuel and DraftKings have amped up their advertising efforts, making it almost impossible to watch any sort of programming without seeing a 30-second bit for either of the two businesses. They pay out a ton of money each week and they make it seem so easy, which entices people to play on a weekly basis.

If you happen to play on either of these sites and reside in the state, you can sign a petition on their respective sites in an effort to remain unregulated throughout the individual states of the United States. The petition asks for your name, email address and zip code. The online form that you would complete basically states that you oppose any measure that would ban online fantasy sports. Hashtags regarding this subject had been trending on Twitter recently, as well. If you want to continue to play, sign the petition and say with pride: Let us play!

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