Addicted to fantasy sports? Be proud and don't call Gamblers Anonymous.

If you are an avid fantasy sports participant and you receive ridicule or critique from loved ones who are either concerned you have a gambling problem or waste your time on mindless activities, you can refute these accusations by citing Congress who regards fantasy sports as a game of skill and NOT considered to be gambling.

H.R. 4411 - Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2005

H.R. 4411 was passed by the House of Representatives on July 11, 2006 by a vote of 317-93. H.R. 4411 was introduced by Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA-2nd District) on November 18, 2005. The bill is intended to "prevent the use of certain payment instruments, credit cards, and fund transfers for unlawful Internet gambling, and for other purposes". From Sec. 5362 of the bill: "the term 'bet' or 'wager' does not include...

(viii) any participation in a simulation sports game, an educational game, or a contest, that--

(I) is not dependent solely on the outcome of any single sporting event or nonparticipant's singular individual performance in any single sporting event; (II) has an outcome that reflects the relative knowledge of the participants, or their skill at physical reaction or physical manipulation (but not chance), and, in the case of a simulation sports game, has an outcome that is determined predominantly by accumulated statistical results of sporting events; and (III) offers a prize or award to a participant that is established in advance of the game or contest and is not determined by the number of participants or the amount of any fees paid by those participants."

Links: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.4411:

H.R. 4777 - Internet Gambling Prohibition Act

H.R. 4777 was introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA-6th District) on February 16, 2006. The bill is an update to "the Wire Act to cover all forms of gambling and new technology". The bill exempts fantasy sports from its definition of gambling: "The bill defines a bet or wager to include wagering on sporting events, lotteries and games of chance. A bet or wager does not include securities and commodities transactions, indemnity and insurance contracts, and fantasy sports leagues."

Links: http://www.house.gov/goodlatte/internetgambling109.htm

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.4777:

So be proud of your prowess in fantasy sports. It demonstrates that you have a specialized skill well within the ambit of the law. Whether your loved ones still consider you pathetic is an issue not addressed by Congress...yet.

Fantasy Football Draft Order - Prepare or Be Surprised

With fantasy football draft season underway, I thought I would look into the two different ways league commissioners set up their draft orders in preparation for the draft. Some commissioners pull names out of a hat or go by reverse order based on the previous year's standings and distribute the draft order ahead of time. This method gives all teams ample time to prepare, rank players, do mock drafts, and get a sense of what will really take place at the draft. Other commissioners prefer to do the draft order ON draft day. This makes everyone somewhat unprepared but also gives an added spice of tension and excitement to the draft. So which is better?

I suppose it depends on your preferences. But if you are a passionate fantasy football participant, then you are likely going to want to know ahead of time what draft position you have. You want to know who is drafting before and after you. You want to rank your players and know how you can expect to build your team. The element of surprise is fun, but in the end it is all about winning. Those who invest the necessary time and effort into draft preparation are usually rewarded (barring catastrophic injuries - i.e., Tom Brady in 2008).

This issue of draft order distribution should be broached by your league commissioner and each league member should have a say in the final decision. It all depends on what type of league you have. If you are serious fantasy football gurus, then there is no greater advantage or skill than knowledge - knowledge of your draft position and setting the blueprint for a championship team.

Injury to David Wright is just wrong.

It is bad enough that I am a die-hard Mets' fan suffering through one of the most frustrating and depressing seasons I have ever lived through. It is even worse that my first-place fantasy baseball team is captained by my #1 pick (#5 overall), David Wright, who has just joined his fellow all-star teammates on the disabled list with post-concussion syndrome after being hit in the head by a Matt Cain 94 mph fastball.

So what can I do about this devastating injury on my fantasy team? Well, truth be told, it doesn't really make much of a difference because Wright has been anything but a fantasy stud this season - at least in head-to-head points leagues such as mine. I can't possibly get full value for Wright if I tried to make a deal now - especially since my league's trading deadline is set for tonight. Even if I had more time, I don't think I would be able to swing a deal to bring me back a better option at 3B without depleting my team somewhere else. As with MLB, everyone in my fantasy league is looking for pitching. I don't have enough to trade in order to bring back a better option that Wright, so why bother? I have Hank Blalock on my bench so he will be my 3B for the rest of the season in all likelihood. Blalock isn't terrible, but he is not the consistent performer Wright has historically been. But this year, Wright has been anything but consistent. So there does not appear to be much of a falloff with Blalock. That being said, I am standing still and not panicking with a drastic trade.

That smells collusive...what should I do?

As the 2009 baseball season starts winding down, that means that fantasy baseball leagues are quickly approaching their playoffs. This usually means that a trading frenzy will take place as teams look to bolster their rosters for the fantasy post-season. However, this trading frenzy could potentially include non-playoff teams selling off their best players for nothing...now.

The concept of collusion in fantasy sports is real and probably happens more than you know. So how does a fantasy league and its Commissioner prevent, or at least curtail, such machiavellanous activities? The answer is relatively simple - don't allow it.

I have run my successful fantasy baseball league since 1999 and first experienced attempted collusion in 2002. In fact, the league member who was initiating the collusion foolishly did so on AOL Instant Messenger, so I have printouts of the actual conversations. He was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, so he offered to trade some of his better players to playoff teams in exchange for a cut of their prize money. Needless to say, I rejected the trades, kicked him out of the league, re-wrote my league's Constitution, and ended our friendship.

After the 2002 season, I amended my Constitution to state that once a team is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, then they are no longer allowed to trade. Is this fool-proof and an absolute guarantee that collusion will never occur? No - but it is surely a better option that letting teams autonomously make trades and undermine the integrity of your league.