The General Assembly having voted this year to legalize and tax fantasy sports gambling in Tennessee, Louie Lobbyist advised in a recently distributed email that he is seeking investors for an “innovative new startup venture” called Fantasy Legislature. So I gave him a call.

Louie explained that he is creating a database with statistics on each legislator’s inclinations, effectiveness, voting record, fundraising ability and so on — just like with players in a fantasy football lineup. Players of Fantasy Legislature will take on the role of fantasy lobbyists, trying to use their influence to decide the outcome of a given game scenario.

“That means that skill will be involved, not just random chance, so it’ll be perfectly legal, just as Herbert Slatery requires,” said Louie, referring to a recent attorney general’s opinion indicating — well, more or less — that fantasy sports gambling would have been deemed unlawful under prior state law, but is OK now that the Legislature has approved.

Under a working draft, Louie says, the initial series of fantasy legislative games is set in early 2018, when Donald Trump, shortly after inauguration as president, has named Bob Corker as U.S. secretary of state. Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed himself as U.S. senator to fill the vacancy created by Corker’s departure and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally has succeeded Haslam as governor. That has created a vacancy for the post of lieutenant governor.
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