The Missouri Gaming Commission is preparing to oversee daily fantasy sports websites under a new law passed this year.
House Bill 1941, signed last month by Gov. Jay Nixon, takes effect Aug. 28, but its provisions still have to go through a public comment period before they become permanent next spring.
So that sports fans can play this fall, commission members on Wednesday adopted emergency rules. Edward Grewach is general counsel for the gaming commission.
He told commission memers, "The ordinary rulemaking notice and time periods would not give us the ability to have permanent rules in place until March (30), so we're going to have a situation where we have to have applications ready to be accepted by Oct. 1."
The emergency rules cover such things as applying for a fantasy sports operator's license, an operator's responsibilities, fees, and records; license suspensions, and lists of people banned from playing.
Grewatch said the rules will allow fantasy sports sites to legally operate in Missouri during the interim.
"You can start legally playing for any company that files its application with us before Oct. 1," he said. "In other words, if somebody files an application on Sept. 14, on that day you're legal to play with that company; on the 13th you're not."
In addition, any daily fantasy sports site operating prior to April 1 of this year is "grandfathered in," as long as they file an application between Sept. 8 and Oct. 1.
For companies that apply after Oct. 1, Grewach said they would not be able to begin operations until after they receive a license.
A public hearing on the emergency rules is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 2.
Missouri will be the ninth state to regulate daily fantasy sports sites, after Nevada, Massachusetts, Virginia, Colorado, New York, Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
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