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John Oliver Tackles Fantasy Sports — VIDEO

by Melissah Yang

It's something that can consume lives, so when I saw John Oliver tackle fantasy sports on Last Week Tonight on Sunday, I pretty much cheered as loudly as I would if the L.A. Dodgers would finally get passed the first round of the playoffs. (I won't be greedy and ask for the World Series. Come on guys, a Pennant — or even just a Division Series win — would do for now.) Anyways, as Oliver points out, the promise of riches from daily fantasy sports sites often is a costly bet, one that can reap big losers and dangerous addictions.

"Daily fantasy sports combine everything dudes love: sports, money, and a lack of commitment," Oliver says. Daily fantasy sport sites like DraftKings and FanDuel allow people to pay entrance fees that can range from a dollar to thousands to join fantasy sports leagues basically on steroids. A fun office pool, they are not. With the promise of big payouts, these sites claim to be legal channels of entertainment for sports enthusiasts to avoid being regulated like casinos and rely on overly positive advertising to draw viewers in, Oliver says.

That's why Oliver thinks these sites' advertisements need a serious overhaul. With a little help from Seth Rogen and Kathryn Hahn, Oliver forces these deceptive commercials to get real about how these sites are games of chance, not skill. Check out the full segment below and learn more about how daily fantasy sports sites are far from being just a friendly game.