Lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly are poised to make the Old Dominion the first state to legalize daily fantasy sports — online gaming where players assemble imaginary teams and put money on how they compete based on statistical performance.

Daily fantasy has exploded in recent years with the creation of companies like FanDuel and DraftKings, and states across the country have responded in different ways. Some, like New York and Illinois, have taken action to outlaw fantasy sports as gambling. That's prompted a reaction from industry leaders, who are now trying to craft regulations in more than two dozen states.

Virginia is poised to be the first state to legalize these games and create regulations for what's allowed and what's not allowed.

"I think it's important that we sort of establish a sort of regulatory framework because right now it is the Wild West," says Del. Marcus Simon (D-53) of Falls Church. "There are no regulations at all. No consumer protections. Nothing to prevent kids from playing."

Advocates for the legislation say betting on daily fantasy sports is not gambling because it's a game of skill rather than a game of chance. But University of Illinois professor John Warren Kindt disagrees. Kindt, who studies gambling, is here in Richmond trying to persuade lawmakers that fantasy sports should be considered gambling and it should be illegal.

"Basically what it does is that it destabilizes economic institutions and financial institutions," says Kindt. " If we have daily fantasy sports, literally you can click your mouse lose your house, click your phone lose your home."

Bills to legalize fantasy sports have passed both the House 79 to 19 and the Senate 28 to 10. The bills set a minimum age limit of 18 and outline rules against computer manipulation of results. But they've also come under criticism for not raising money for the state. Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49) of Arlington says taxpayers should get a piece of the action.

"Virginia doesn't get a piece of this," says Lopez. "I mean, if we're going to regulate it. If we're going to allow this kind of gambling to go on in Virginia we should at least get some kind of benefit from it."

That's not a view shared by Republicans.

"I did not bring it in to be a tax increase bill, so I was not about to tax these companies," says Del. Jackson Miller (R-50), of Manassas. "And so what I wanted to do is to put some consumer protections in there but also make it so that the over one point two million Virginians who play it now can continue to play it."

Miller says if the General Assembly doesn't take action, he's concerned opponents could go after the industry as illegal gambling the way they did in New York and Illinois.

This is a reprint from wamu.org. to view the original, click here.