(Reuters) - New York State's top prosecutor on Tuesday filed for a temporary injunction that would shut down daily fantasy sports leaders DraftKings and FanDuel in the state in a latest blow to the fast-growing, multibillion-dollar industry.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in legal documents filed in a Manhattan trial court that the games are illegal gambling, no different from poker or blackjack.
New York has more daily fantasy sports players than any other U.S. state, according to Eilers Research, so being forced to shut down there could cripple the companies.
The move by Schneiderman, which was expected, followed a failed effort by the two fantasy sports companies on Monday to obtain a separate court order that would have headed off Schneiderman's proceeding.