YouTube Fills Federal Policing Void on Gambling

The ultimate inhibitor of the regulated gambling industry is the illegal ever-present offshore market. The regulated industry has been consistently asking for assistance from law enforcement to assist them in stamping out the illegal market – that, unlike the regulated industry, is not required to abide by any of the mechanisms that protect consumers. The…

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Seismic Shift on Lottery Courier Services in Texas

On Monday, February 24, the Texas Lottery Commission’s Executive Director, Ryan Mindell, announced that the Commission was exercising its discretionary authority under the State Lottery Act to keep the Texas Lottery honest, secure, and fair “by prohibiting lottery ticket courier services,” effective immediately. The Commission plans to give effect to the prohibition through administrative adjudication…

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The Gambling Industry’s Regulatory Lessons for Cryptocurrency

While most of American population has mixed feelings on the results of the 2024 election; the cryptocurrency (“crypto”) industry does not. Crypto companies made up one-third of all direct corporate contributions to political action committees, and it resulted in 85% of all winning congressional candidates being supporters of the crypto industry. So, what does the…

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Crypto’s Gamble Pays Off: SEC Enforcement Stalls Under Trump Administration

The cryptocurrency industry’s political bet on Trump appears to be paying early dividends in his administration’s first month. The Securities Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) rapid pivot–reorganizing its enforcement units and pausing major crypto litigation–signals a dramatic shift in the agency’s approach to digital asset regulation. In the past, we have analyzed several enforcement actions by the…

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The Election Betting Experiment: Will Congress Rebottle This Genie?

Just this fall, Americans in all 50 states were able to put their money where they mouth was on the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election—what many news outlets call, and even one platform itself has called, election betting. Betting, notably, is not legal in all 50 states. Before the Supreme Court’s ruling, sports betting…

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Our Big Three Predictions for the Online Gaming Industry in 2025

In 2025, we will celebrate the seventh anniversary of the repeal of PASPA and the resulting increase in legalization and popularity of various offerings in the gaming industry – namely sports wagering and online casino gaming. We predict 2025 will bring the following to the industry: (1) further actions from state authorities to fight back…

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Missouri Votes for Legalized Online and Retail Sports Betting

Yesterday, the citizens of Missouri voted in favor of Amendment 2 to legalize online and retail sports betting by a small margin of under 7,500 votes.  Missouri is now set to be the 39th state to legalize sports betting. Under the amendment, the retail and online sports wagering rights were granted to Missouri casinos and…

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A Modest Proposal to Reduce AI Liability: Add Warnings

CONTENT WARNING:  This blog includes discussion of suicide.[1] Imaginary friends are a common staple of childhood. Indeed, many children invoke the companionship of imaginary friends – relying on their creativity and imagination for entertainment and friendship. However, nowadays, young people no longer need to rely solely on their own creativity to conjure up a fictional…

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CFTC “Special Rule” Interpretation Led to an October Surprise

On October 2, 2024, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision that permitted KalshiEx LLC (“Kalshi”) to legally offer election contracts, which allow buyers to put down money based on their predictions as to party control of Congress and presidential election results.[1]  This decision, and the district court decision…

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