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Lessons from the Restructuring of an Online Sports Betting Company
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June 12, 2026
Lessons from the Restructuring of an Online Sports Betting Company
By: George Calhoun
The U.S. has seen numerous casino bankruptcies, including, most recently, Maverick Gaming in July 2025. What it has not seen, until now, is the bankruptcy of an online sportsbook. Previously, when companies exited a state, they cut deals with as many creditors as possible and just left the state (or the United States). Examples of this in recent years include Betfred, Betway, Unibet, and in some states WynnBet. Because some of the failed online offerings were the products of established land-based operators, they typically cut deals and pulled out of markets without formal restructuring proceedings. What has not happened on any real scale is the bankruptcy and sale of assets of an operating sportsbook. OTG changed that. OTG filed a…
CFTC Predicting Litigation Success over Multiple State
June 8, 2026
CFTC Predicting Litigation Success over Multiple State
By: John Mikuta
Through recent litigation actions, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) continues to stake out an aggressive position in the fight over who has the authority to regulate prediction markets. On May 18, 2026, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed into law SF 4760, an omnibus public safety bill that made it a felony to operate or assist in operating a prediction market.[1] The next day, the…
Michelle Cohen on iGaming Marketing: Five Critical Steps When Regulators Call
May 26, 2026
Michelle Cohen on iGaming Marketing: Five Critical Steps When Regulators Call
By: Ifrah Law
Michelle Cohen guides and defends Ifrah Law’s iGaming clients when government agencies launch enforcement actions alleging unlawful gambling, advertising, and marketing practices. Michelle has decades of experience advising and defending organizations facing these and other claims related to consumer protections and privacy. When faced with cease-and-desist orders and costly litigations, Michelle’s clients count on her credibility, diligence, and deep knowledge of iGaming advertising and consumer…
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,…
