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Ifrah Law Secures Major Victory for iGaming Operators as Massachusetts Court Reinforces Arbitration Rights
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October 8, 2026
Ifrah Law Secures Major Victory for iGaming Operators as Massachusetts Court Reinforces Arbitration Rights
By: John Mikuta
In a significant victory for iGaming operators, a Massachusetts trial court issued a sweeping decision reinforcing the enforceability of arbitration agreements against third-parties who seek to recover alleged gambling losses under Massachusetts law.[1] The ruling represents a major win for Ifrah Law’s iGaming clients and underscores Ifrah Law’s ability to navigate novel legal challenges, develop sophisticated strategies, and achieve meaningful results at a time when iGaming companies face increasingly aggressive and creative legal threats. Massachusetts, along with about 30 other states, has a “Loss Recovery Act” that allows a losing gambling to sue the winner and recover their losses. Like the statutes in several other states, if the gambling loser does not file a lawsuit within three months, a third…
CFTC Opens the Door for Passive Software Providers in Derivatives Markets
September 28, 2026
CFTC Opens the Door for Passive Software Providers in Derivatives Markets
By: John Mikuta
In a new no-action letter, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) recently opened the door for software developers building software to facilitate trading in derivatives and futures. The CFTC’s Market Participants Division (“MPD”) issued a no-action position providing that it would not recommend bringing an enforcement action against a “passive software provider,” or “PSP”, for failing to register as an introducing broker (“IB”) or associated…
Trust the Future You Trade: Lessons About Prediction Market Surveillance from the DACOM Summit
September 23, 2026
Trust the Future You Trade: Lessons About Prediction Market Surveillance from the DACOM Summit
By: John Mikuta
Prediction markets are no longer a niche offering confined to a small corner of the internet. The rapid growth of prediction markets has launched them into the mainstream as a meaningful part of the financial ecosystem. But with that growth comes many of the same market integrity and compliance challenges that more traditional financial markets have long encountered. Prediction markets have faced public scrutiny over…
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…
Wisconsin Indian Tribe Prevails – State Cannot Ban Electronic Poker on Reservation
May 6, 2015
Wisconsin Indian Tribe Prevails – State Cannot Ban Electronic Poker on Reservation
By: Ifrah Law
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has overturned a federal district court ruling that had permitted the State of Wisconsin to prohibit the Ho Chunk tribe from offering electronic poker on its reservation although such games are not explicitly and uniformly prohibited in that state. This ruling may have implications for the ability of tribes to offer online poker – an issue…
