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Cold Water on Insider Trading Fears: Prediction Markets Miss the 2026 NFL Draft
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April 29, 2026
Cold Water on Insider Trading Fears: Prediction Markets Miss the 2026 NFL Draft
By: John Mikuta
From April 23 to April 25, the National Football League (“NFL”) held its annual player selection draft. Over 800,000 fans gathered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to watch Commissioner Roger Goodell announce the picks live, with millions more watching on TV and other digital platforms.[1] But the NFL Draft is not just a spectator event—both traditional sportsbooks and prediction-market platforms allowed customers to risk money predicting which player would be selected first, how many quarterbacks would be chosen, and when particular players would come off the board.[2] NFL Draft betting took off in 2020, when COVID-19-related shutdowns brought most sports to a grinding halt. Until then, a typical draft garnered only about $1 million in wagers. The 2020 NFL Draft, however, saw…
After Ciminelli: Are the Feds Betting Too Big on Wire Fraud?
April 23, 2026
After Ciminelli: Are the Feds Betting Too Big on Wire Fraud?
By: Abbey Block
Can a technical violation of a website’s terms and conditions constitute a violation of the federal wire fraud statute? A federal court will soon decide just how broadly the statute may sweep, and whether all such forms of potentially dishonest conduct are subject to such stringent criminalization. On Monday, all eyes will be on the District Court for the Eastern District of New York when…
The Cost of Moving Too Fast: Is Your Company Really Ready to Apply for a US Gaming License?
April 21, 2026
The Cost of Moving Too Fast: Is Your Company Really Ready to Apply for a US Gaming License?
By: Amanda Holi
The allure of the US gaming and gambling market is undeniable. As more states legalize sports betting and online gaming, it seems full of possibilities. But as someone who navigates these regulatory waters daily, I often have to ask new clients a tough question: Is your company actually prepared to apply for a US gaming license? Entering the US isn’t just about having a great…
Coalition Building to Combat Unlicensed Internet Gaming Sites
November 14, 2016
Coalition Building to Combat Unlicensed Internet Gaming Sites
By: Steven Eichorn
The NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) regulates various licensees that provide services to the online gaming industry within the state. The agency recently demonstrated its power of regulatory enforcement over the online gaming industry and its unique ability to protect consumers with its recent discovery that a licensee may have provided US residents with access to unlicensed offshore sports wagering sites via an out-of-country server…
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…
