David Stern: FanDuel, DraftKings is a game of skill

Former NBA commissioner David Stern called the legal probing of daily fantasy sports nonsense during his appearance Thursday at the Sports Business Journal Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in New York.

"The current issues around it are ridiculous. It's clearly a game of skill," he said.

Of course, the NBA is an equity stakeholder in FanDuel, and other sports leagues have strong partnerships -- and owners on the investment board -- of DraftKings. The two daily fantasy sports (DFS) superpowers are under intense scrutiny as some states, such as Nevada and New York, moved to declare the games illegal betting.

Stern said the State of New York is hiding behind the hypocrisy of advertising and profiting from state lotteries -- a form of legal gambling and a decided game of chance -- while stressing the NBA views DFS as a game of skill.

"You have an equal chance of winning (the lottery) whether you buy a ticket or you don't," Stern said.