--- description: Massachusetts has put forward a proposal that would see people under the age of 21 banned from playing paid fantasy-sports games. title: Massachusetts Proposes Age Limit for Paid Fantasy Sports image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a342821081674ed/6988721d524fc0461fdf5960/gettyimages-4929728261.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Massachusetts Proposes 21 Age Limit for Paid Fantasy Sports by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 20, 2015 6:32 AM CUT  The fantasy sports website DraftKings is shown on Oct. 16, 2015 in Chicago, Ill. The fantasy sports website DraftKings is shown on Oct. 16, 2015 in Chicago, Ill.Scott Olson—Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 20, 2015 6:32 AM CUT The state of Massachusetts is [proposing](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/20/us-fantasysports-massachusetts-idUSKCN0T823D20151120#CJttih7eoQDOzKCB.97 "undefined") to ban those under the age of 21 from playing paid fantasy-sports games. State Attorney General Maura Healey also wants to prohibit the promotion of fantasy sports in high schools and colleges, reports Reuters. In addition, professional athletes and other connected individuals would not be allowed to take part in paid fantasy competitions related to their particular sports. The fantasy-sports business led by DraftKings and FanDuel has grown rapidly since the 1980s. The business sees people create teams for various professional sports including soccer, ice hockey and basketball. It has been facing increased scrutiny by officials who are trying to determine if the paid games can be defined as gambling. The firms insist their products are games of skill rather than chance. On Tuesday, New York State sought an injunction to shut down DraftKings and FanDuel declaring the games to be illegal. The proposals will be submitted to the secretary of state and will undergo a period of public comment before taking effect. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/20/us-fantasysports-massachusetts-idUSKCN0T823D20151120#bOPpmrTkPqkMfbSt.97 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4121681/fantasy-sports-massachusetts-age-limit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4121681/fantasy-sports-massachusetts-age-limit/"},"headline":"Massachusetts Proposes 21 Age Limit for Paid Fantasy Sports","datePublished":"2015-11-20T06:32:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:47:53.346Z","description":"Professional athletes would also be banned from fantasy competitions related to their sport","url":"https://time.com/4121681/fantasy-sports-massachusetts-age-limit/","keywords":["gambling","Massachusetts","fantasy sports"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a342821081674ed/6988721d524fc0461fdf5960/gettyimages-4929728261.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a342821081674ed/6988721d524fc0461fdf5960/gettyimages-4929728261.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Online Fantasy Sports Sites, FanDuel And DraftKings, Under Scrutiny Of Government","caption":"Online Fantasy Sports Sites, FanDuel And DraftKings, Under Scrutiny Of Government","creditText":"Scott Olson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4121681/fantasy-sports-massachusetts-age-limit/","name":"Massachusetts Proposes 21 Age Limit for Paid Fantasy Sports"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: Fantasy Sports Investigation Begins","description":"NY Attorney General launched a probe into Fantasy Sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel for fraud","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ucYdfGTa/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-10-07T13:17:29.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ucYdfGTa.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4121681/fantasy-sports-massachusetts-age-limit/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4121681/fantasy-sports-massachusetts-age-limit/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```