A. Jeff Ifrah

FOUNDING MEMBER

"I defend executives and companies against high-stakes claims or actions that could take them out of the US iGaming marketplace."

Overview

Jeff Ifrah’s legal skills and record of success have earned him international recognition as a white-collar criminal defense lawyer and litigator. He is an advocate keenly focused on delivering results for his clients – on understanding the problems they face and developing innovative strategies to resolve them.

Considered one of the world’s foremost attorneys in Online Gaming Law, Jeff is ranked as a Global Market Leader in Chambers & Partners’ Global Gaming Guide. He is also ranked in Band 1 for Gaming & Licensing Law (USA-Nationwide) in Chambers USA, which notes that he “is well known for handling regulatory and litigation matters in the online gaming and sports betting space. His client list includes international operators of mobile betting platforms, as well as US-based groups.” During their research process, a client told Chambers, “Jeff Ifrah is second to none when it comes to online gaming and sports betting; his legal and business insights are invaluable,” and another said, “Jeff is a standout lawyer. He knows the industry and he’s an effective advocate.” Ifrah Law has been at the center of most of the important prosecutions and lawsuits in the iGaming industry.

Jeff leverages his decades of experience in betting and wagering law to advise startups in the eSports space, including both real money and skill-based p2p competition sites, on compliance with both state and federal law. His clients in the sports betting arena include FanDuel, Delaware North, Sportradar, Bet365, Playtech, and Worldpay. Jeff and his team have also gained a strong reputation in other related internet-based industries such as payment processing and money transmission.

Of special importance to the gaming community is Jeff’s role in founding iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA), a non-profit association seeking to grow jobs and expand online interactive entertainment business in the U.S. through advocacy and education. Members include Boyd Gaming, DraftKings, Fanatics, Light & Wonder, and Worldpay, among others. On behalf of iDEA, Ifrah Law submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the seminal sports betting case Murphy v. NCAA, which was decided in favor of iDEA’s argument urging the rights of states to direct their own economies.

Jeff cut his teeth as a trial lawyer and officer in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps and as trial counsel to the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth. He then gained invaluable experience as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey.

He went on to become of counsel to the global law firm Paul Hastings and then a shareholder in the litigation department of another global firm, Greenberg Traurig. Often litigating cases against the federal government, he achieved a string of victories in cases involving criminal and civil antitrust laws, securities laws and the Civil False Claims Act. He defended some of the most well-known businesses in the country in industries such as pharmaceuticals, health care and technology.

Jeff is a member of the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court, an invitation-only professional organization devoted to white collar practice that includes federal and local judiciary members in the District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Justice officials, and some of the most established defense attorneys in Washington, D.C. Jeff also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law’s “Advanced Regulation of Sports Betting” course; the first-ever law school certificate program dedicated to the regulatory and legal aspects of sports wagering law and integrity issues.

He is also active in the publishing arena: he currently serves on the editorial and advisory board of Online Gambling Lawyer. His commentary has been featured in national media like The Baltimore Sun, and he is a frequent speaker at industry events around the world like the Esports Bar Association Convention.  A leading national authority in federal sentencing laws, Jeff is co-author of Federal Sentencing for Business Crimes, the only comprehensive treatise on federal sentencing in the context of business and white-collar crimes.

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Awards + Recognitions

Benchmark Litigation Award - Litigation Star 2024
GI Hot 50 Award Logo
Trailblazers Award Logo
  • Chambers Global, Gaming & Gambling, 2024
  • Chambers USA, Gaming & Licensing (Band 1: Nationwide), 2015 – 2024
  • Chambers USA, White Collar Crime and Government Investigations (Washington, DC), 2011 – 2024
  • Benchmark Litigation, Litigation Star: White Collar Crime (USA National; Washington, DC), 2015-2024
  • Gaming Intelligence Magazine, Hot 50 List, 2012; 2020
  • National Law Journal, Sports & Entertainment Trailblazers, 2019
  • National Law Journal, Litigation Trailblazers, 2015
  • Nightingale’s Healthcare News, Outstanding Fraud and Compliance Lawyer, May 2006
  • "Expert News Source", Corporate Governance and Securities, and Health Care/Pharmaceutical, LexisNexis
  • Meritorious Service Award, U.S. Army
  • DOD, Holds Top Secret Clearance

Credentials

Education
  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, J.D. - Symposium editor for the Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal
  • Yeshiva University, M.A., Medieval History
  • Yeshiva University, B.A., Political Science and Sociology

Admitted to Practice
  • District of Columbia
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Pennsylvania

Previous Experience
  • Greenberg Traurig, Partner
  • Paul Hastings, Of Counsel
  • Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey
  • Trial Counsel, Communications-Electronics Command and Fort Monmouth
  • JAG Officer, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Army

Professional Community
  • Founding Member, iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA)
  • Adjunct Professor, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law
  • Member, Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court
  • Member, UNLV Gaming Law Journal Advisory Board
  • Member, Online Gambling Lawyer Editorial Board
  • Member, ABA Criminal Justice Section
  • Member, International Masters of Gaming Law

Languages
  • French
  • Hebrew

Jeff's Insights

Investment Giant Clears State Regs, Gains Major iGaming Equity Stake
Ifrah on iGaming |
Mar 4, 2024

Investment Giant Clears State Regs, Gains Major iGaming Equity Stake

By: Jeff Ifrah
Fast-Paced, Multi-Pronged Partnership Deal Lets London Financial Giant Access U.S. iGaming Market
Ifrah on iGaming |
Feb 15, 2024

Fast-Paced, Multi-Pronged Partnership Deal Lets London Financial Giant Access U.S. iGaming Market

By: Jeff Ifrah
Cross-Border Acquisition Helps Canadian Firm Gain Traction in U.S. iGaming Markets
Ifrah on iGaming |
Jan 10, 2024

Cross-Border Acquisition Helps Canadian Firm Gain Traction in U.S. iGaming Markets

By: Jeff Ifrah
iGaming Company Takes on State Licensing Commission’s Rejection – Achieves Rare Victory
Ifrah on iGaming |
Nov 20, 2023

iGaming Company Takes on State Licensing Commission’s Rejection – Achieves Rare Victory

By: Jeff Ifrah

Case Studies

Managing the Entire RFP Process for Tribal Gaming Company

Seneca Gaming Corporation, owned by the Seneca tribe, runs three casinos in Western New York, and is the largest casino in the state in terms of revenue.

In 2013, New York passed a law allowing retail sports betting within casinos, but the passage of specific state regulations governing the activity was delayed for years. The Seneca tribe retained Ifrah Law to help find them a partner to run their expanded retail and mobile sports betting operations.

We ran the entire RFP process for the casino, offering potential partners the opportunity to bid on servicing this $1 billion market. Ifrah Law reviewed all of the applications, and helped the client cull the list down to a select group of finalists who would make the ideal New York sports betting partner for their specific business objectives.

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Advising eSports Company on ICO, Cryptocurrencies, Compliance, and Regulation

Unikrn, an international leader in eSports products and content, asked us to provide legal advice on various new products, including its initial coin offering: we provided strategic advice on the products and games on which the cryptocurrencies could be used, while remaining compliant with U.S. gaming and financial services regulation on the federal and state level. We also worked closely with Unikrn during all phases of development of their product, including revisions to the product and games, updates to the ICO whitepaper, and various regulatory and compliance strategies. We continue to advise Unikrn on various new gaming offerings and are advising on licensing matters in newly opened sports betting markets.

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Sports Betting Data Company Licensing and Preserving Commercial Contracts

A sports betting data company contacted Ifrah Law to assist with its licensing process in New Jersey and Mississippi in relation to its sports betting business. The company provides sports betting data to sports books all over the world and is seeking licensure in New Jersey and Mississippi.

Ifrah Law assisted with the licensing process, including reviewing applications and disclosures, advising on proper disclosures for corporate officers and the various business entities, and working directly with regulators on the licensing process. We were successful in securing approval for operations in New Jersey while the investigation was underway.

The firm also assisted with petitioning the Mississippi Gaming Commission for approval to begin offering certain sports betting products prior to finalization of the license application, thus preserving the company’s commercial contracts.

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