Veteran Actor Zack Ward: "Daily Fantasy Sports Gambling is Greedy, Dangerous... and Dead"

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is issued by The Sports Vote: "It's like coaxing a toddler to stick a fork in the electrical outlet," says Ward, Ambassador for The Sports Vote and sponsor of the Sports Integrity Protection Amendment (SIPA) in California. "I initiated SIPA to stop this madness. I have some very strong words for sports betting and daily fantasy gambling operators: The garbage you're peddling is absolutely destructive to our country, our economy and our last PURE thing, sports! History proves it DOES NOT WORK and you're about to get totally shut down!"

To say that the daily fantasy sports gambling industry is in turmoil would be an understatement. Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who initiated the Black Friday indictments of 2011 and torpedoed the trajectory of poker, is investigating the legality of daily fantasy sports gambling. Some experts believe that daily fantasy participants, just like the poker players, will see their funds frozen soon. The NCAA drew a line prohibiting DraftKings and FanDuel from advertising during championship events. As expected, they both cancelled their big-money Vegas events on the heels of the Nevada decision declaring daily fantasy sports as gambling under Nevada law. Congressman Frank Pallone sent a letter to DraftKings and FanDuel requesting they provide a list of all NFL players engaged in daily fantasy sports gambling, along with referees, coaches, trainers and team management. The New York Attorney General asked the court to shut down daily fantasy sports with emergency hearings scheduled for November 25, 2015. Meanwhile, the leagues are desperately trying to save a sinking ship. Adam Silver, NBA commissioner doubled down on daily fantasy sports gambling, and both Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner and Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner argued that daily fantasy sports is not gambling in direct opposition to the Nevada ruling. Dallas Cowboys owner and DraftKings stakeholder Jerry Jones also defended daily fantasy sports gambling. Their reasons are obvious as they are all invested in some way.

It is not clear where the daily fantasy sports gambling business is headed. Some argue "light-touch" regulation will save the day. Zack disagrees: "It is clear to me where this is going... straight down the drain. Don't try to catch a falling knife, just let it go and stop the bleeding.  Attempting to regulate daily fantasy sports gambling is mission impossible. It's obvious these guys have no REAL interest in regulation or they would have played the game straight from the start instead purely reacting to the pressure.  They're just trying to get Americans hooked on the next fix so they can cash in quick and hoping to grow so fast that they're "too big to fail", hijacking our laws for their own profit.   I mean, have you actually looked at the Nevada decision or the New York memorandum of law?  The DraftKings CEO said the concept is 'almost identical to a casino.' They even coded their website with the word 'betting' when identifying images, probably to pick up gambling traffic. Another daily fantasy CEO said the product is a 'sports betting parlay on steroids'. I have news for you, boys. Your product is not identical to a casino. It's much... much worse.... because it threatens the very integrity of sports. You can never regulate something that kills the purity of sports...period." John Oliver tied it up nicely on HBO's "Last Week Tonight" November 15, 2015.

Mr. Ward is very optimistic about the future, however: "I have big plans for sports and great news for the fans, the sports industry and all stakeholders. Sports and money DO mix and responsible, non-gambling socially beneficial sports markets can exist and be regulated. SIPA lays the proper foundation and framework for all responsible sports and finance innovators to join me in this world elevating adventure."

For more information and to sign the online petition, visit http://www.TheSportsVote.com/

Contact:

Jason Henry - The Sports Vote Media Relations
iPhone (705) 772-7066 or Email

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151118/289116
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151118/289115 

 

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