If you’re following the world of daily fantasy sports, or DFS, then you know that the industry has come under attack in recent weeks. The New York Attorney General issued a cease-and-desist order to DraftKingsand FanDuel on Tuesday and many have begun to call for regulation of the nascent space.

Enter Steve Miller, the current California State Director for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), and Drew Lesofski, the former PPA Director of Grassroots and External Affairs. The two have teamed up to launch the Daily Fantasy Sports Players Alliance, which seeks to “save daily fantasy sports in the US by independently building a powerful grassroots organization to represent DFS player wants and needs vis-a-vis our interactions with government regulators, legislators, and DFS operators.”

PocketFives caught up with Miller, whom we’ve known for a long time because of his association with the PPA, to talk about the new DFS-focused organization.

Can you tell us about the origins of the Daily Fantasy Sports Players Alliance?

Steve Miller: I’ve worked with Drew at the PPA since 2008. I’ve served in a volunteer capacity as the PPA’s California State Director. I’ve provided testimony in Sacramento a number of times. I’ve made trips back to DC to act as a cause advocate as well. Drew was responsible for membership relations and government relations for the PPA in DC. Professionally, he’s a cause advocate and an issues lobbyist.

I recognized that we needed representation close to DC because there will be plenty of action there and Drew is very qualified to do it. I think he’s the perfect individual to handle the government relations side. I am an experienced cause advocate and social marketer. I have an intellectual curiously about the industry and where it’s going. We have seen what happened to the poker industry already.

It’s a good fit to do right now because there is currently no representation for players and there’s no one looking out on their behalf. Players want fair play, transparency in their operations, and they want legislators to craft legislation that preserves the game and allows them to play.

Individually, the voice of a player doesn’t contain much value. But, if there’s a unified voice, we believe we can represent it and be the intermediary to the other stakeholders in the industry.

What are the core issues facing the DFS industry right now?

Steve Miller (pictured): The core issues are related to several of the stakeholders. Operators have made some missteps. They’ve had missteps on how they position the need for regulation, quickly changing from none is needed to limited regulation to self-regulation. Now, they have to prepare for regulation that occurs at the state level 44 times over. They need to be prepared for that. They can’t wing it anymore.

Regulators also need to be educated. They don’t know the ins and outs of the industry and they’re not hearing from consumers. In the poker world, I’ve seen the issue swing many times on the government level from one of morality to one of economics. In this space, they don’t know if this is an issue of creating laws, banning things, or who should handle it. It needs some order.

Who have you partnered with in the fantasy space?

Steve Miller: We are trying to establish relationships right now. It’s going to take time and it’s a process. I think there are plenty of partners who would like to work with us, but they would like to see how far we can build the organization on our own. We’re working now to demonstrate that we’re real. The best way to do that will be to get in front of state regulators. People will see that we’ll start appearing at these hearings. They’ll read about us in the media.

Who’s behind it besides you and Drew (pictured)?

Steve Miller: It’s privately funded right now by Drew and me. We have a couple of private investors looking at us to see if we’re capable of doing what we want to do. These are individuals who have looked at the DFS space and are interested in seeing if they can become involved. Soon, the website will be updated with a membership tab and we can get funding from players.

What is your personal interest in being in the DFS space?

Steve Miller: I am not a DFS player, but I’m intellectually curious about it given the similarities to poker. I enjoy working in this marketplace and have done it the last 10 years with poker. I like creating organizations and building partnerships. I enjoy the opportunity to be a spokesperson, so this wraps up a lot of things I like doing in one.

We’re not experts in the product yet, but we will become more expert over time. It’s not our goal to be controversial or confrontational. We are really keying on being helpful.

No one has a crystal ball to forecast what will happen in DFS. The similarities, though, between DFS and online poker are correlated and the same stakeholders are involved. It’s inevitable that similar situations will occur. I’ve seen it before and so has Drew.

Visit DFSPlayers.org for more details.