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Major League Development: CFTC and MLB Agree to Monitor the Integrity of Prediction Markets
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March 19, 2026
Major League Development: CFTC and MLB Agree to Monitor the Integrity of Prediction Markets
By: John Mikuta
In a watershed moment for the prediction market industry, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Major League Baseball (“MLB”) today. According to the CFTC’s press release, the groundbreaking agreement “establishes a framework for the CFTC and MLB to discuss, cooperate, and exchange information concerning issues of common interest including protecting the integrity of professional baseball and the relating prediction markets.” [1] The MOU “provides a mechanism for the CFTC and MLB to exchange information,” which will “enable both parties to more swiftly respond to incidents and better anticipate emerging trends.” The MOU provides that the parties “endeavor to meet as needed, but at least monthly, to identify and discuss issues that may impact…
Jim Trusty on Smart Legal Moves for Clients Under Pressure
March 18, 2026
Jim Trusty on Smart Legal Moves for Clients Under Pressure
By: Ifrah Law
A veteran federal prosecutor and formidable white-collar litigator, Jim Trusty clears a lane for clients facing a gauntlet of criminal charges, civil actions, investigations, and regulatory proceedings. From professional athletes facing sports wagering accusations or indictments, to gaming companies and executives involved in regulatory or white-collar matters, clients rely on Jim’s legal strategy, political savvy, and prosecutorial insights when the stakes are highest. Protecting iGaming…
Gambling on Skill: Enforcement of Gambling Laws Against Skill Games in Outlier States
March 10, 2026
Gambling on Skill: Enforcement of Gambling Laws Against Skill Games in Outlier States
By: Jordan Briggs
In many states, people can legally pay entry fees to participate in a skill game and win cash prizes. For most states that allow participants to wager on their own skilled gameplay, the analysis for whether a certain game qualifies as a legal skill game turns on whether the game is one of chance or of skill. Each state has its own test to determine…
Shutting the Valve on Skin Betting
October 26, 2016
Shutting the Valve on Skin Betting
By: Nicole Kardell
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, they go after a major supplier, stakeholder, or intermediary. Want…
An Esports Slam Dunk: What the NBA’s Investment in Esports Means
October 20, 2016
An Esports Slam Dunk: What the NBA’s Investment in Esports Means
By: Ifrah Law
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 private company that owns the Washington Wizards. The Sixers, Guber,…
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,…
