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'Protecting minors' on top of AG Healey's mind when it comes to daily fantasy sports sites

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- On Thursday, Attorney General Maura Healey proposed tighter regulations on daily fantasy sports companies, like FanDuel and DraftKings.

FOX25's Sharman Sacchetti revealed the new rules those companies may have to play by. Healey told FOX25 that her proposed regulations for daily online fantasy sites like Boston based Draft Kings are the first of their kind in consumer protections in the nation.

"It is my belief that this is the best path forward, when it comes to protecting customers, protecting minors and the like," she said.

Among the new rules, Healey also looked to ban ads on college campuses, Ban DraftKings from extending credit to players and wants to set up a tiered system to put all players, from beginners to advanced, on a level playing field.

Why not ban the sites altogether?

"As I've said in the past, this is a form of gambling, the question is whether or not it's legal or illegal. And as I've said in the past, as I look at the criminal laws that apply to gambling, it is not unambiguously clear that they apply to this new industry."

Republican State Representative Geoff Diehl told us he doesn't like the idea of some of these regulations, especially setting the cutoff age at 21.

He's calling it "arbitrary."

Geoff Diehl said, "Kids who are 18 have the ability to be in the military, they  have the ability to buy cigarettes, and they have the ability to play state games like Keno or scratch tickets."

For its part, DraftKings has issued a statement telling FOX25 it does have some concerns with the regulations, but intends to work with the attorney general to ensure it's operating in the best interests of its customers.

The company also says it will start taking steps to make changes to comply with what the AG wants.

A public hearing is set for January. The attorney general expects to have regulations in place by next winter.