A former gaming regulator is joining PrizePicks as fantasy operators across the country deal with legality concerns in one of the largest markets in America.
PrizePicks announced the appointment of Todd Grossman as the company’s director of gaming regulatory compliance to ensure the fantasy giant meets legal and compliance standards as it expands across North America. Grossman joins PrizePicks after spending more than 10 years in various roles at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC).
“After an unforgettable chapter in public service, I’m thrilled to share that I’ve joined PrizePicks as Director of Gaming Regulatory Compliance,” said Grossman in a post on LinkedIn. “From day one, the welcome has been warm, the energy high, and the company’s commitment to building something truly exceptional has been unmistakable.”
At the MGC, he served as general counsel for three years before being appointed as interim executive director. Grossman was named interim director after Karen Wells stepped down and continued his duties as general counsel while serving in the new role.
Before joining the MGC in 2012, Grossman was deputy general counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety before being a commissioner for the state’s Athletic Commission. He was one of the commission’s five inaugural commissioners.
PrizePicks’ status in California
Grossman is responsible for navigating PrizePicks through California’s gaming market as the country’s largest economy discusses the legality of daily fantasy sports (DFS).
California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a long-awaited opinion last week on the legality of DFS in the state. Bonta, as predicted, declares DFS contests to be in violation of state law. The opinion declares every form of DFS offered in the state to be in violation of California law relating to sports betting due to wagering being prohibited in the state.
Bonta’s opinion does not change California law and so does not explicitly ban DFS operators from accepting customers in the state, allowing them to continue to operate in a grey area.
The Coalition for Fantasy Sports, whose membership includes PrizePicks, Betr, Splash, Dabble and Underdog, opposed Bonta’s opinion. As a result of the opinion itself not changing California law, PrizePicks and Underdog will remain operating in the state.
Before Bonta issued his opinion, PrizePicks ceased offering its against-the-house Pick’Em product in California, replacing it with the peer-to-peer Arena version.
