As one of 10 states where sports gambling is still not legal, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a recent legal filing that draft and pick’em-style daily fantasy games could be considered sports betting and therefore illegal in the state. While companies like DraftKings that have operated in the state for 13 years say fantasy contests involve skill and should not be considered gambling, FOS deals reporter Ben Horney tells Baker Machado and Renee Washington the legal aspects of the filing and whether players in the Golden State will still be able to play daily fantasy games.
Meanwhile, the WNBA and its players are less than four months away from the Oct. 31 expiration of their current CBA, and the two sides remain far apart. The players firmly rejected the league’s first counterproposal a few weeks ago, with some calling it “a slap in the face.” FOS women’s sports reporter Annie Costabile spoke with union president Nneka Ogwumike and has the latest on the tense negotiations.
And don’t look now, but the Magic could be a real threat in the NBA’s Eastern Conference for years to come after signing star Paolo Banchero to a reported five-year, $239 million max rookie contract extension, locking up their core of Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and newly acquired Desmond Bane through the 2028–29 season. Plus, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard admits he was “shocked” like the rest of us when he read star Myles Turner would be leaving the team for the Bucks on Shams Charania’s social media.