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CFTC Withdraws Specialized Guidance On Cryptocurrency Derivatives
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March 31, 2025
CFTC Withdraws Specialized Guidance On Cryptocurrency Derivatives
By: Jake Gray
In line with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) transformation from cryptocurrency enemy to ally, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) is now following its sister agency’s lead. By withdrawing its specialized guidance on digital currency derivatives, the CFTC signals a more hospitable regulatory approach to the industry, one that recognizes the growing maturity and mainstream acceptance of digital asset markets. As of March 28, 2025, both CFTC Staff Advisory No. 18-14 and the subsequent 2023 guidance, CFTC Staff Advisory No. 23-07, have been officially withdrawn, marking a clear departure from the agency’s previous cautionary stance.[1][2] What’s In the Advisories The CFTC’s first digital asset advisory, Letter No. 18-14, came in 2018 when digital asset derivatives products and their spot…
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Sweepstakes Issues Draw Focus at Next.io Summit
March 27, 2025
Sweepstakes Issues Draw Focus at Next.io Summit
By: Jordan Briggs
Social casinos were one of the many hot topics at the Next.io summit in New York March 12-13, so much so that they got their own well-attended summit on March 11. Generally, there are three types of online social casinos: social casinos with no option to purchase any plays; social casinos with the option to purchase plays and the only thing a user can win…
YouTube Fills Federal Policing Void on Gambling
March 17, 2025
YouTube Fills Federal Policing Void on Gambling
By: Sara Dalsheim
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 federal government has failed to answer the call, so the…
A Bank is a Bank
August 15, 2016
A Bank is a Bank
By: Steven Eichorn
Do you remember when I wrote about how a federal district court had ruled that an online poker account was akin to a bank account and should therefore be subject to FBAR reporting? It seemed nonsense to me at the time—and I also worried about whether the court’s expanded definition of a “financial institution” would be applied to other types of escrow accounts beyond gaming….
Pokémon Go Craze: Battle, Train, Win – But No Betting
July 19, 2016
Pokémon Go Craze: Battle, Train, Win – But No Betting
By: Jeff Ifrah
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 Americans are playing the game. What’s more, SurveyMonkey intelligence predicts…
New Concerns Over Esports Betting; Jeff Ifrah Responds
July 14, 2016
New Concerns Over Esports Betting; Jeff Ifrah Responds
By: Ifrah Law
*photo obtained from https://gameora.tumblr.com/ In light of unprecedented controversy over the legality of “skin betting” and eSports gambling, Jeff Ifrah and two other attorneys took to Reddit to answer questions from players, fans, and professionals. Together with Bryce Blum and Ryan Morrison, Ifrah participated in an AUA (“Ask Us Anything”) thread on July 5, 2016—just after the news about Trevor “TmarTn” Martin, Thomas “Syndicate” Cassell,…
Eric Schneiderman’s Losing Lineup
June 27, 2016
Eric Schneiderman’s Losing Lineup
By: Jeff Ifrah
Defenders of DFS like to point out that it is skill-predominant. If the same can be said for public prosecution, then New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been fielding one hell of a losing lineup. Between the two of them, DraftKings and FanDuel dominated the DFS space, and they still did after Schneiderman dumped near-identical complaints at their doorsteps. But now their well-being was…
How the Gray Bill Tries to Keep Out Bad Actors
May 24, 2016
How the Gray Bill Tries to Keep Out Bad Actors
By: Steven Eichorn
The iGaming world is excited about Assembly Bill 2863—better known as the Gray bill because of lead sponsor Adam Gray—which would legalize and regulate intrastate online poker in California. A few weeks ago, the bill unanimously cleared the Assembly’s Governmental Organization Committee; now it looks set to clear the Appropriations Committee as well. Those are promising signs—but we’ve seen this before. Last year, a similar…
