Rep. Joe Atkins
(St. Paul, MN) — A Minnesota lawmaker is planning to introduce legislation that would help the state regulate the increasingly popular fantasy sports betting industry to prevent scams. Democratic Representative Joe Atkins of Inver Grove Heights says it would recognize daily fantasy sports betting as lawful but require Internet site operators to be licensed in the state. Atkins says licensing would subject the firms, such as FanDuel and DraftKings, to background checks and other audits. He says daily fantasy sports betting has quickly become big business in the state. He says Nevada recently outlawed the internet sites, while Texas determined it’s legal.