Legal Fantasy Sports Betting Coming to Philly

FanDuel, a site owned by UK-based social gaming company Hubdub, has recently reached its first ever deal with a US newspaper: The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philly.com.

So what does this mean? Well, soon you’ll be able to bet…money…on fantasy sports through Philly.com. And instead of having to wait through the whole damn season to get your duckets, FanDuel specializes in single-day “one-night-stand” fantasy sports. So you pick your fantasy team, bet real money on them, and if they prevail you win real money in return. Gambling!

So how is this legal you ask? Well, according to the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act, betting on fantasy sports online isn’t illegal. This is because fantasy sports requires more skill than chance (I guess) and generally takes an entire season to play out. But in the case of FanDuel these contests only last one day for MLB games or one week for NFL games. Genius!

While at the moment there is a $25 cap on bets, this is still great news all of us sports fans with loose morals. Plus, because most newspapers are behind on their rent at the poorhouse, this may take off nationwide as a quick revenue-building scheme. But Philadelphia gets it first. Go degenerate and desperate Philly!