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Update on 1/14/19 OLC Wire Act Opinion – All Eyes on New Hampshire
Apr 9, 2019
Update on 1/14/19 OLC Wire Act Opinion – All Eyes on New Hampshire
(This post was originally published on 1/15/2019 and updated on 4/8/2019) On Jan. 14, 2019, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion reversing its 2011 position on the Wire Act and sports betting, contradicting not just itself but decisions by at least two District Courts and dicta by the U.S. Supreme…
An Epic Fail: Complaint Against Fortnite Creator Based On Facts As Stale As Fruitcake
Mar 5, 2019
An Epic Fail: Complaint Against Fortnite Creator Based On Facts As Stale As Fruitcake
Parents can get angry when their kids spend too much time or money on video games. We get it. But going after a gaming company in retaliation is probably not the best response. And doing so without actually understanding the game can result in, well, a giant waste of time, or, in a recent example,…
NASPL Responds to the DOJ Reversal of Opinion
Feb 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…
Ruling in Daniels v. FanDuel Highlights the Value of Sports Data and Contemporary Culture
Oct 29, 2018
Ruling in Daniels v. FanDuel Highlights the Value of Sports Data and Contemporary Culture
More good news for sports betting operators exploring U.S. markets: the Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the “newsworthy value” of sports player stats. The ruling will make it harder for leagues and players to exercise control over (or to extract rents from) the distribution of player data. The case, Daniels v. FanDuel, was brought by…
Ifrah Law Article on SCOTUS Sports Betting Decision in George Washington Law Review
May 30, 2018
Ifrah Law Article on SCOTUS Sports Betting Decision in George Washington Law Review
In their recent article published in the George Washington Law Review, firm founder Jeff Ifrah and associate David Yellin describe the three immediate effects of the groundbreaking Supreme Court decision in Murphy v. NCAA: “this ruling immediately legalizes sports betting in New Jersey, opens up a logjam that states, casinos, and foreign sportsbooks have been hoping…
Ifrah’s David Yellin Takes on Noted Attorney Paul Clement on Legality of PASPA
Oct 26, 2017
Ifrah’s David Yellin Takes on Noted Attorney Paul Clement on Legality of PASPA
Talk about a true David and Goliath story: David Yellin, an associate at Ifrah Law, recently called out Paul Clement, a true Goliath in the legal field. Unfazed by Clement’s impressive credentials – Clement boasts about his Supreme Court clerkship and his stints as Deputy Solicitor General and Solicitor General on his Kirkland & Ellis…
Supreme Court Ruling on Sports Betting Case Could Level the Playing Field
Oct 4, 2017
Supreme Court Ruling on Sports Betting Case Could Level the Playing Field
This month Ifrah Law submitted an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court in Christie v. NCAA, a pivotal case with far reaching implications for the gaming industry and state coffers across the country. The case asks whether New Jersey can offer sports betting in regulated casinos and race tracks in New Jersey. A…
Nevermind About Internet Cafes…
Mar 24, 2017
Nevermind About Internet Cafes…
Jacksonville attorney Kelly Mathis got some good news this week: State prosecutors have decided not to retry him on more than one hundred charges for gambling-related offenses. The State brought the charges against Mathis and fifty-six co-defendants in 2011, following a state-wide investigation of “internet cafes”—businesses that sell internet time to customers, who, with their…
Skin Gambling Plaintiffs Find Themselves Back Where They Started
Jan 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…
Shutting the Valve on Skin Betting
Oct 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,…
