Jason Robins, the chief executive officer of the fantasy sports website DraftKings, compared his enterprise to the stock market, he stated, “[It is] like the stock market. They [people] enjoy looking at something and trying to figure out something that someone else [does not] see.” For years there has been talk on whether sports betting should be legal or illegal.  States like Delaware and Nevada have passed acts legalizing sports betting, but other states like New York are not in favor of legalizing it. Sports betting should be legal in all states because it allows businesses  around the world to be more profitable, makes watching sports  more challenging and exciting, and  can help one receive a large profit off of these websites.

To begin, sports betting should legalized because businesses all around the world are looking for ways to increase sales and improve their revenues. A year ago, the NFL renewed its exclusive contract with DirectTV to show outer market games. The NFL’s current contract is now $1.5 billion a year.  The league also started NFL RedZone, a cable channel with up to the minute fantasy sports stats (Isidore). People are watching a lot more major league football games, making out-of-town games more valuable to the league. Now, every game, regardless of what state you are in,  can be watched,  which is crucial to fantasy sports  players. Fan bases,  along with sports betting are now being increased, helping sports businesses  expand their followers and become wealthier.  In addition, Fanduel and Draftkings, two of the most popular sports betting sites have each recently raised about $300 million in financing.  They are using a portion of this  money to put ads around stadiums. Between them they have sponsorship deals with 28 of the 32 NFL teams, worth an estimated $6 to $7 million dollars (Isidore).  This increase in ad visibility is helping  these sites improve sales and  expand their customer base.  Finally, John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager of news and media for ESPN, stated that last years decision to introduce a free fantasy football service led to an increase in its members. The escalation of  fantasy players also led to dramatic growth in advertising revenue.  Samsung  and DirecTV is a sponsor for ESPN's fantasy football game, while Coca-Cola is the sponsor for fantasy football news.  CBS SportsLine, another fantasy site has stated, "Since we have a high-end audience, [we have] always had success with advertisers. Ad inventory for fantasy football has been “sold out for years” Snyder said (Monica). Businesses like Coke are big advertisers for fantasy sports,  helping these companies become more wealthy.  With sports betting,  companies and businesses are increasing their members, revenus, and advertisers.  As one can see, fantasy betting can increase the profits  of businesses.

Along with the assumption that fantasy sports will make businesses more profitable, it also makes games more entertaining. Firstly, fantasy sports turns the fan into a general manager. Fan’s teams will enter their lineup and excitement begins. The games start and then suddenly they are watching not only the teams that they love, but also the players they picked (Breslow). Sports betting makes the games more exciting because now customers are putting money on the game. They find themselves watching and getting more into the games.   Additionally, sports betting makes sports more fun and intriguing.  According to Jeffrey Derevensky a professor at McGill University,  fantasy sports provide a “fun, exciting and interesting way for sports enthusiasts [fans] to compete against each other, whether for money, entertainment or bragging rights among friends”. With over 200,000 people signing up for daily sports there must be a reason why it is so popular. A lot of younger males participate in  sports betting because it brings a new energy and excitement level to the game. Additionally,  according to Kelly Stewart who writes a column for the Las Vegas Review Journal and also owns a sports information website she states that, “Sports betting is a challenge. It makes sports more exciting. It makes you a part of the contest. I had the ability to bet on games and my passion grew”. Sports betting brings a whole new level of energy  to watching a game. The spectator becomes part of the contest. Instead of just viewing the game one is also participating in it.  As shown, fantasy sports makes the game more entertaining and appealing.

In addition, enthusiasts can win large sums of money in short periods of time.  This year DraftKing expects to pay out close to $2 billion in prizes, while some other fantasy football websites pay out as much as $10 million a week. Sports betting websites are paying out very large sums of money to people participating. With so much money available to win, players are more tempted to play. Also, according to Tony Manfred a deputy editor for the website INSIDER, people are making over $100,000 off of fantasy sports. When Manfred talked to a man named Alex he said, he has made $95,000 in profit in the last twelve months. Customers can make large profits on the games that they bet on. Sports betting should be legal because it  makes it easy for people to win large amounts of money.  Finally, last November brothers Dave and Rob Gomes split $1 million in a fantasy football tournament on the site DraftKings, after only paying a $27 entry fee. The chance at a $1 million payout is a big part of DraftKings' allure. Sports betting should be legal because fans pay a small amount of money to enter games and can become instant millionaires within a short period of time.  As one can see, there is a lot of money that can be made by betting on fantasy websites.

Some people say that professional sports organizations do not like the idea of sports betting because it negatively affects the player. According to Michael Rudd a writer for Sports Networker,  the idea of betting on players put such pressure and stress on the athletes. By putting such  stress and pressure, players might perform and play differently. However, sports betting will not put pressure on players but it might motivate the players.  Knowing that people are depending on them, athletes will be more motivated to perform well. Although many people think that professional sports organizations feel that online sports gambling has negative effects on the players, it actually can have a positive effect on the players because it motivates them. 

As aforementioned, fantasy sports betting should be legalized in all states. By legalizing sports betting it can help  businesses around the world  be more profitable,  the game will be more entertaining and exciting, and one can win a large sum of money. Fantasy sports is a burgeoning business and is creating more jobs.  If states make fantasy sports illegal jobs will be lost. Fans will also not be as interested and excited in the games anymore. Viewership will decrease. If sports betting is not legalized than the world of sports could be permanently damaged.

Work Cited

Breslow, Jason M. "FRONTLINE." New York Times. New York Times, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.           
Isidore, Chris. "NFL Revenue: Here Comes Another Record Season."CNNMoney. Cable News
Network, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.       .
Monica, Paul R. La. "Media Companies Make Real $ from Fantasy Football."CNNMoney. Cable
News Network, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
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