Duane Morris Hosts “High-Stakes Games: Betting on Sports” Roundtable

Duane Morris, the Sports Business and Leadership Association and the Sports Lawyers Association will be hosting the roundtable discussion, “High-Stakes Games: Betting on Sports,” on Thursday, January 26, 2017 in Miami, Florida. This in-depth roundtable discussion will focus on the key issues and high stakes of sports betting and will feature sports and gaming industry executives, lawyers and pro-team executives. Duane Morris partner Christopher L. Soriano, of the firm’s Cherry Hill office, will moderate the discussion.

Featured Speakers:

  • Eric Frank, Director, Legal Affairs, Amaya
  • Myles Pistorius, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Miami Dolphins

Topics to be discussed include:

  • The current state of sports betting in the United States
  • New developments in gaming law
  • The pro team’s view on expanding sports betting
  • Online and offshore wagering on games

Duane Morris Sports Practice AdvantageSM
Duane Morris attorneys have extensive experience representing clients doing business in sports. Whether pursuing new opportunities or investments, enforcing contracts or agreements or protecting clients’ rights, the firm’s lawyers understand the unique issues presented by operating in the industry, including the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships, controlling sensitive information, maintaining privacy and confidentiality and achieving goals in tight time frames.

About the Sports Business and Leadership Association

The Sports Business and Leadership Association (“SBLA”) is a non-profit charitable organization whose members are professionals working in the sports business industry. The SBLA’s core mission is to organize an affinity group of legal professionals working in the sports business industry and to educate them on trending sports business issues and concerns. The SBLA’s goal is to raise money to provide underprivileged children with the financial means to attend a summer sports camp at a university (the “SBLA Scholarship Program”).

About the Sports Lawyers Association

The Sports Lawyers Association (SLA) is a nonprofit, international, professional organization whose common goal is the understanding, advancement and ethical practice of sports law. There are more than 1,000 current members: practicing lawyers, law educators, law students and other professionals with an interest in law relating to professional and amateur sports.

Can You Get Busted for Your Bracket? Duane Morris Partner Christopher Soriano on Office Pools, Fantasy Sports and All Things Gaming Law

Duane Morris partner Christopher Soriano of the firm’s Cherry Hill office appeared on a recent broadcast of the “Wagner & Winick on the Law” radio program, during which he joined co-hosts Dean Mitchel Winick and Professor Stephen Wagner, both of Monterey College of Law, to discuss the interplay of federal and state laws in the United States related to regulating gambling and how many of these laws are outdated. A sampling of the topics discussed include Internet gaming, office brackets, fantasy sports, casinos and the lottery.

Within the context of the NCAA March Madness Tournament, Mr. Soriano provided insights on the gaming law implications of office bracket tournaments, which, as in most instances where people put in money on the results of a sporting event, are illegal for the most part. Mr. Soriano also commented on the developing area of fantasy sports and the important distinction to be drawn between games of skill and games of chance. For example, the traditional season-long fantasy sports contests are considered legal because skill is involved; while daily fantasy contests have been viewed as being illegal games of chance. Therefore, where is the line between when something is a contest of skill and when it is a contest of chance?

To listen to the radio program in its entirety, please visit the Recent Podcasts, Webcasts and Audio section on the Duane Morris website.

Duane Morris Partner Christopher Soriano Quoted in Law360

Duane Morris partner Christopher Soriano in the firm’s Cherry Hill office was quoted in a February 18, 2016 Law360 article (“3rd Circ. Puts Gambling Ban Constitutionality Back On Table“) detailing the 12-judge Third Circuit panel hearing discussing New Jersey’s efforts to legalize sports betting. This is the third time the appeals court has looked at the issue. Mr. Soriano discussed three possible outcomes: 1) the court could hold that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is constitutional and N.J.’s partial repeal violates it, resulting in no sports betting; 2) the court could find PASPA constitutional but that the state has complied with the act in its partial repeal, resulting in unregulated sports betting in N.J. casinos and racetracks; or 3) the court could determine that PASPA is unconstitutional and therefore regulated sports betting would be allowed in the state.

Mr. Soriano’s blog post on the hearing can also be found here.

What’s Next For Pennsylvania’s Gaming Industry?

Although by all accounts Pennsylvania’s gaming industry has a been a great success since the first casino opened in the Commonwealth in 2006, the industry now faces stiffer competition than ever for gaming dollars in the region. From 2006 to 2012, gaming revenues grew each year on a year-over-year basis, but declined slightly from 2012 to 2013. Within the next few years, several new casinos will open along the east coast in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland. Additionally, New Jersey and Delaware each recently launched Internet gaming in their states and Delaware has entered into a compact with Nevada to attract more Internet gaming revenue. The stakes are high for Pennsylvania’s gaming industry to remain competitive and to not lose gaming dollars to neighboring states.

Continue reading “What’s Next For Pennsylvania’s Gaming Industry?”

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The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

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