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The Cost of Moving Too Fast: Is Your Company Really Ready to Apply for a US Gaming License?
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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 product; it’s about surviving a rigorous, intrusive, and often exhausting bureaucratic marathon. If you’re thinking about expanding to or applying in the US, here’s a quick check to see if you’re really ready to start your first application. 1. The Operator Agreement: Solving the Chicken-and-Egg Dilemma One of the most significant challenges to starting is…
George Calhoun on Keeping iGaming Companies Competitive and Thriving
April 21, 2026
George Calhoun on Keeping iGaming Companies Competitive and Thriving
By: Ifrah Law
Chambers-ranked litigator George Calhoun acts as a strategic guide for Ifrah Law’s iGaming clients who face difficult business challenges. When iGaming operators are trapped in unfavorable legacy agreements or scrambling after their business partners suddenly bail out, George provides the strategic counsel they need in an industry defined by rapid expansion, complex agreements, and high commercial stakes. George draws on his extensive bankruptcy and restructuring…
Peering into the Future: Kids, Games, and Regulation
April 10, 2026
Peering into the Future: Kids, Games, and Regulation
By: Steven Hess
This March, a California jury found Google and Meta (which operates Facebook, Instagram, and other websites) liable for negligently causing a child user’s depression and anxiety. Driven by a desire to protect children from perceived vices,[1] this is likely to be the first in a wave of new lawsuits and legislation aimed at regulating online spaces. Although limited to protecting children for now, these efforts…
Wanted: A Quarterback for Legalization Of U.S. Sports Betting
August 12, 2015
Wanted: A Quarterback for Legalization Of U.S. Sports Betting
By: Jeff Ifrah
*This piece first appeared on the site LegalSportsReport.com on August 11, 2015 Welcome to one of the biggest business opportunities on Planet Earth: legalized sports betting in the United States, the land of the free and the home of 200 million sports fans. It hasn’t happened yet, but odds are, it will. And when it does, the overwhelming spoils will go to licensed and law abiding actors…
Captain Obvious Makes Landmark Ruling: Texas Hold ‘Em Is Poker
July 24, 2015
Captain Obvious Makes Landmark Ruling: Texas Hold ‘Em Is Poker
By: Nicole Kardell
Texas Hold ‘Em is poker. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most, but the pronouncement was a serious disappointment to an Idaho casino. The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled this week that the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Idaho-based casino could not lawfully offer Texas Hold ‘Em on its site as the game was in fact poker, and poker is specifically prohibited by Idaho’s…
Another Bill to Expand the Wire Act: Bad Law Clothed in a Lie
June 25, 2015
Another Bill to Expand the Wire Act: Bad Law Clothed in a Lie
By: Ifrah Law
It is ironic that recent proposed legislation that would expand the scope of the federal Wire Act comes from a U.S. senator in the South, where “states’ rights” has always been a rallying cry. This past week’s focus on the presence of the Confederate battle flag on the grounds of the South Carolina capitol (and elsewhere) brought back to the fore the specter of “states’…
Minnesota Phases Out State Lottery-Operated Online Games
May 21, 2015
Minnesota Phases Out State Lottery-Operated Online Games
By: Michelle Cohen
Minnesota’s legislature recently passed a bill that bars the Minnesota Lottery from offering online games, following a four month transition period. Specifically, the new law bans the lottery director from offering “the play of, on an electronic terminal, through a Web site, or by any other means or device, casino-style games, including but not limited to blackjack, craps, keno, dice games, roulette, or poker.” The…
The “Fight of the Century” in its 13th Round
May 8, 2015
The “Fight of the Century” in its 13th Round
By: Nicole Kardell
It’s not uncommon to see sports fans get emotional at a game, match, race, or fight. They feel invested in their team, invested in their athlete. For the sports bettors out there, that investment may be literal, but for most it’s largely emotional. So at the hour of defeat do disappointed fans have a legal right to a return on their investment if the contest…
