ESPN quotes Jeff Ifrah about the Laws surrounding Survivor Pool Betting

America’s growing love of office pools

By: David Purdum-ESPN Staff Writer

Laws regarding pools, however, are rarely enforced, said Jeff Ifrah, a prominent Washington, D.C., attorney, who has handled many high-profile gambling and sports betting cases. Ifrah recalls only a handful of times in which authorities targeted pools. On the rare instances that authorities do take interest in a pool, Ifrah says that the organizers are usually the primary targets and that disgruntled participants are usually responsible for triggering the investigation.

“It drives you crazy as a defense lawyer,” Ifrah said. “It’s like, ‘Why didn’t you just try to resolve that? Why didn’t you give him his $10 back?’

“Regardless of the new regulatory scheme that’s sweeping across America,” Ifrah added, “office pools are probably pretty safe from enforcement, assuming that no one involved is taking a cut just for organizing the pool. Taking a cut essentially brings the organizers under bookmaking in a prosecutor’s view. Once you’re taking a cut, there’s not a lot to distinguish you from a bookmaker.”