Fantasy football (association)
Fantasy football (less commonly referred to as fantasy association football worldwide but known as fantasy soccer in the United States) is a game in which participants assemble an imaginary team of real life footballers and score points based on those players' actual statistical performance or their perceived contribution on the field of play. Usually players are selected from one specific division in a particular country, although there are many variations. The original game was created in England by Bernie Donnelly on Saturday 14 August 1971 and is still going strong 45 years later. Fantasy football has evolved in recent years from a simple recreational activity into a significant business due to exposure via the internet.
Fantasy football (American)
Many leagues are composed of friends, family, co-workers and even strangers that are in the fantasy league to prove who is the greatest "couch coach". Millions of dollars are won and lost each year in fantasy league betting. Some leagues are managed by players in the leagues while other leagues are run by independent businesses. The Federal government has determined that fantasy league gambling is not a "game of chance" and as such is not illegal, however, alterations to the rules can cause a fantasy league to skew too far into chance and lose federal protection. At the state level, many states, including Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana and Vermont have banned certain activities related to fantasy football, such as collection of league fees and payout of winnings, when done so online. Florida has an outright ban on all fantasy football, though how the ban is enforced appears to be unclear. Fantasy football continues unabated in all of these states, so it appears none of these regulations have any effect.