California Assemblyman amends DFS bill

California State Assemblyman Adam Gray has amended legislation to regulate the daily fantasy sports (DFS) industry. The amended version of AB 1437, now titled the Fantasy Sports Game Protection Act, would require DFS sites to be licensed and regulated in the state.

Oversight of the DFS industry would be handled by the California Department of Justice.

Read and track the progress of AB 1437 here.

The bill would require DFS businesses to pay a licensing fee to the state that would be credited against quarterly payments based on a percentage of the operator's gross revenue, though those fees are currently not specified.

“We are still reviewing the bill, but we look forward to working with Chairman Gray in 2016 to educate him on fantasy sports and the benefits that our innovative technology provides to sports-loving residents and the California economy,” Paul Charchian, president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, told Legal Sports Report.

California is now the 12th state in 2015 to consider daily fantasy sports legislation, according to Legal Sports Report. Only Kansas has actually passed a DFS bill into law, when it legalized DFS earlier this year.

On Monday, New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone called for a congressional hearing to explore the legal status of fantasy sports in the U.S.