Senate committee discusses fantasy sports

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A Senate committee got an overview of the variety of laws related to fantasy sports games in Washington state and across the country and discussed a bill that proposes legalizing casual, season-long fantasy leagues.

The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee held a work session Friday on the contests that have gotten national attention. Last month, the New York attorney general announced that daily fantasy sports betting sites FanDuel and DraftKings are illegal gambling operations in his state and that he was investigating insider trading at daily fantasy sites.

A bill proposed by Republican Sen. Pam Roach would define fantasy sports leagues as games of skill, which would exempt them from any classification of gambling. The next legislative session begins in January.