The Florida Gaming Control Commission has awakened a hornet’s nest by issuing three cease-and-desist letters to DFS operators. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
FGCC starts a war
The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) has declared war on three daily fantasy sports (DFS) brands operating in the state by sending them cease and desist letters. Accordingly Florida politicsthe FGCC sent its letters to Underdog Fantasy, PrizePicks and Betr.
Jeremy Levine, CEO of Underdog, communicated via X correspondence from his attorney the FGCC’s stance that all of his company’s DFS and pick’em games are illegal:
Florida politics cited identical letters signed by FGCC Executive Director Louis Trombetta warning Underdog, PrizePicks and Jake Pauls Betr that their activities have crossed the line into sports betting.
Trombetta said the FGCC has received information that the companies may be “offering or accepting illegal bets or wagers from Florida residents.” […] Promoting and operating an illegal lottery.” The letter goes on to say the alleged unlawful conduct “is strictly prohibited in Florida and constitutes criminal activity.”
Underdogs, PrizePicks strike back
The FGCC’s cease-and-desist order requires that Betr and the others immediately cease accepting any bets or stakes and promote or operate illegal lotteries in Florida. Trombetta’s message also included a threat to refer the non-compliant companies to the Attorney General for prosecution.
Still, Levine is defiant. Speaking about A spokesperson for the Georgia company had thinly veiled comments about FanDuel and DraftKings, as it appears neither received FGCC letters despite their DFS offers.
PrizePicks is a “smear campaign”
PrizePicks’ spokesperson said its “larger competitors” intentionally passed misinformation to U.S. regulators. The result of what PrizePicks claims is a “smear campaign,” the DFS company argued, has “resulted in inaccurate findings about our contests and the laws that govern them.”
The spokesperson added that PrizePicks was keen to meet Trombetta “to discuss our business and skill-based gaming platform.”
Florida’s legal chaos
Many industry experts have over
“I doubt there is a greedier bunch than gambling companies […] The hypocrisy of DK/FD attacking Underdog and PrizePicks for working in gray is unreal.”
the epicenter of the legal chaos in the gambling industry”
Gaming law and sports betting attorney Daniel Wallach called Florida the “epicenter of legal chaos in the gaming industry” due to numerous sports betting and DFS litigation in the state. He compared the DFS case as an undercard fight to the main event, West Flagler vs. the Seminole Tribe, which is headed to the Supreme Court despite an earlier appeals court ruling that could have resulted in the tribe’s Hard Rock Bet in Florida went live now.
