By Sally Ho, AP

Nevada gambling regulators have approved a new platform that will allow bets in a fantasy sports model.

The Nevada Gaming Commission voted Thursday to give a gambling license to Henderson-based US Fantasy.

The newly developed sports system essentially blends sports betting with elements of traditional fantasy sports contests.

US Fantasy and traditional fantasy systems, such as the popular DraftKings and FanDuel models, differ primarily in the way they pay out winners.

US Fantasy’s payout depends on what and how other gamblers are betting, while traditional fantasy sports sets an established prize money amount.

The new Nevada platform also declares fantasy sports betting as gambling, despite the industry arguing in the face of legal challenges across the country that its games are not gambling.

The move comes as the daily fantasy sports industry argues in the face of legal challenges across the country that its games are not gambling.

US Fantasy Owner Vic Salerno said his model could easily be reframed to fit states that have approved guidelines allowing fantasy sports to operate. But an industry leader predicts it won’t have a major effect on fantasy sports overall because it may only work in Nevada, where sports betting is already legal.

In the US Fantasy system, users bet against each other on individual player stats, with a pot of prize money that can change depending on how many people are betting and how much they bet. Using football as an example, a user can wager that Tom Brady will throw the most yards that week.

In traditional fantasy sports, users generally pick a group of players to create a team, and if they win, they know they are getting an established payout. In the football example, Tom Brady’s performance would help rack up points along with the rest of the players of the imaginary team.

The popular DraftKings and FanDuel platforms ceased operations in states such as Illinois, New York and Nevada, where they were accused of operating as illegal, unregulated betting systems.

The industry has lobbied states to approve laws that would allow them to operate without legal ambiguity. So far, Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi and Colorado legislators have done so, while New York’s governor has yet to sign off on the state’s version.

In Nevada, regulators have urged fantasy sports sites to apply for gambling licenses, a move the industry opposes as too costly and time consuming.