Category: eSports Law

April 29, 2019

DOJ High-Wire Act

Heavyweight parties are slugging it out in a lawsuit in the Granite State, and Ifrah Law is taking a lead role in protecting the interests of America’s rapidly growing online gaming industry.  The New Hampshire civil case comes on the heels of the Department of Justice (DOJ) releasing an interpretation of the federal Wire Act… Read More

February 5, 2019

NASPL Responds to the DOJ Reversal of Opinion

On February 4, 2019, the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (“NASPL”) issued a statement responding to the Department of Justice’s January 14, 2019, opinion regarding the Wire Act of 1961.  In its statement, the NASPL hints that the DOJ failed to consider the effects its latest Wire Act opinion would have on… Read More

July 30, 2018

Why We Won’t See A Federal Sports Betting Bill Soon

Following the Supreme Court decision to overturn The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in Murphy v. NCAA, in June Delaware became the first state to take advantage of the new ruling. Delaware governor John Carney placed the state’s first legal single-game bet: $10 on the Philadelphia Phillies in their game against the Chicago… Read More

July 25, 2018

Industry Experts Agree: Online and Mobile Wagering is Critical to the Success of Sports Betting

The recent University of Nevada Las Vegas Institute on Gaming Regulation’s Understanding Sports Betting seminar included presentations by professors from UNLV, practicing attorneys in the field, sports book operators, and regulators from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, who provided a wide range of viewpoints on the ins-and-outs of sports betting regulation. The one topic on… Read More

June 4, 2018

Effective Sports Betting Regulation Must Cover Mobile and Online Betting, Too.

On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”), clearing the way for states to legalize sports gambling. In its wake, many states are now rushing to do just that. Currently fourteen states have legislation pending that would authorize some degree of sports wagering. An additional five… Read More

January 10, 2017

Skin Gambling Plaintiffs Find Themselves Back Where They Started

The lawsuits against Valve Corporation are continuing their tortured procedural paths from various federal courts to state court and back again. After filing a complaint against Valve and several co-defendants in federal court, the case was ultimately dismissed. Not dissuaded, the plaintiffs refiled against Valve in state court, in King County, Washington. Yet, as of… Read More

October 26, 2016

Shutting the Valve on Skin Betting

A tried and true military strategy is to cut off your enemy’s supply lines: blow up a bridge and force a retreat. The tactic works in other situations too. It is regularly used by legislators and government agencies to address what they view as problem behavior from a particular industry. Instead of targeting the industry,… Read More

October 20, 2016

An Esports Slam Dunk: What the NBA’s Investment in Esports Means

On September 26, 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that they had acquired two leading eSports teams, Team Dignitas and Team Apex. Not to be outdone, the next day Team Liquid announced they had sold a controlling share to Golden State Warriors co-owner Peter Guber and entrepreneur Ted Leonsis, who is the majority owner of the… Read More

July 19, 2016

Pokémon Go Craze: Battle, Train, Win – But No Betting

We are living in a virtual (or perhaps “augmented”) Pokémon explosion. You can’t get away from news of public craze over Pokémon Go. Players young and youngish have made the game today’s most popular app, outpacing Twitter and Tinder download rates. In less than ten days from its release, estimates are that almost 26 million… Read More