Category: eSports Law
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
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
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
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
Social Casino Survives Latest “Gambling” Lawsuit
It’s a familiar sight: rows of men and women, on a bus or a subway, hands and eyes glued to their phones. But they’re not talking or texting or e-mailing. They are playing slots, though not for real money. This is the world of social casino – the subgenre of social gaming featuring casino-style games… Read More
Five Legal Issues Your eSports Company Needs to Know About Operating in the U.S.
Photo courtesy https://outplayed.fr/ With a $143 million market in North America, eSports is big business in the U.S. And given its swift rise in popularity – 205 million people worldwide watched or played eSports in 2014, it will only become bigger. At last week’s eSports Conference, held in San Francisco September 9-10, industry leaders met… Read More
Recap of RAWA House Subcommittee Hearing and What It Means for iGaming
The House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations held a hearing last week to consider bill HR 707, the “Restoration of America’s Wire Act,” or RAWA. The proposed bill would prohibit most types of online gambling, whether or not they have been legalized and regulated by any state. The bill was drafted in… Read More
Google Play and the Slow Transition to Mobile for Real Money Gaming
If the past 10 years have taught us anything it’s that the future is not just online, it’s on the go. For countless consumers, mobile and tablet devices are the preferred method of accessing online content. After a slow start, gaming developers have come around to prioritizing mobile platforms. All of this momentum has ground… Read More
Extra Caution Required in Mobile Advertising as New Jersey DGE Releases Guidance for Affiliate Marketers
Today, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Gaming Enforcement (“DGE”) released additional guidance for affiliate marketing companies working with state online gaming operators. This guidance comes only weeks after the DGE issued warning letters to affiliate marketers who advertised unregulated online gaming websites in conjunction… Read More
Sprint Gets a Wallop of a Reminder – Company-Specific Do Not Call Lists Still Matter – $7.5 Million Record Do Not Call Consent Decree
Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) announced a consent decree with Sprint Corporation for federal do not call violations. Specifically, under the terms of the agreement, Sprint will make a $7.5 million “voluntary contribution” to the United States Treasury. This payment represents the largest do not call settlement reached by the FCC. Sprint also agreed… Read More
