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Posts by I. Nelson Rose

Regulator Drops Appeal in Prediction Market Case, a Suspicious Win for Donald, Jr.
I must start by saying I like prediction markets. Allowing people to trade event contracts, that is, make bets on future real-world events, has led to extraordinarily accurate forecasts. Of course, it invites insider trading. But that is not always bad. In 2003 the...

How Securities Trading Became Legally Not Gambling
Attitudes toward gambling have shifted not only from state to state but also over time. Twice before in American history, almost all gambling was outlawed. Even Nevada closed its casinos in 1909. But we are now in what I call the Third Wave of Legal Gambling, with...

NJ to Allow Esport Competitors to Bet on Themselves
What could possibly go wrong? New Jersey Assembly Bill No. 2172 has passed out of committee and now will be voted on by the entire Assembly. A companion bill is being considered in the State Senate. If either bill passes both houses and is signed by Governor Phil...

Sheriff Carmine Marceno’s Finances: Gambling & Ethics Questions
Financial disclosures are meant to ensure transparency and accountability. When the News-Press investigated Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno’s financial records, they uncovered concerns about his skyrocketing net worth, questionable gambling winnings, and potential...

Regulatory Challenges Facing Casino Bidders
I am honored to have been quoted in a recent Politico article that delves into the challenges facing major casino operators in their bids for downstate New York casino licenses. The article specifically addresses how regulatory issues, including potential fines and...

How to Not Get Arrested
“Spanky,” Gadoon Kyrollos, one of the top sports bettors, and my client and friend, invited me to speak at his 2024 BetBash. In return, I gave a talk on a topic his attendees would appreciate: When does betting, especially on sports, become a crime? Spanky has been...

Legal Jeopardy in Sports Gambling: Insights from SERMAPod
I recently had the privilege of being a guest on the SERMAPod, the podcast for the Sports and Entertainment Risk Management Alliance, hosted by Rich Lenov, founder and CEO of SERMA. During the episode, we discussed the complex world of sports gambling, focusing on...

Casinos Dragged into Ohtani Sports Betting Scandal
By the time you read this, Scott Sibella will probably have been sentenced in federal court. Sibella had been president and chief operating officer of the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas. The sentencing hearing, set for May 8th, is the result of a plea agreement, in...

Pete Rose Wishes He Had a Translator
Just because you have made yourself into a national embarrassment does not mean you cannot sink any lower. No, I’m not talking about that other guy, the wannabe dictator with the superpower of having absolutely no sense of shame....

Testifying in French
I don’t usually write about my cases. But the trial court has reached its verdict. And I want to describe my experience testifying as an expert witness in a criminal trial in Paris, France. In French. Well, the trial was conducted entirely in French. I spoke...

Shohei Ohtani leaves unanswered questions after blaming his interpreter in gambling scandal
Shohei Ohtani’s calm, deliberate delivery Monday of his version of events surrounding the payment of his longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara’s gambling debts leaves no doubt where he stands on the matter. He does not and never has placed bets on any sport. He was...

Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal explained: Everything we know after Dodgers star breaks silence
Shohei Ohtani's lawyers say the Dodgers superstar has allegedly been the victim of "massive theft," reportedly accusing his now-former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, of taking funds from Ohtani to use for illegal gambling. ESPN reports that at least $4.5 million in wire...

Is Shohei Ohtani Another Pete Rose? Dodgers Star May Be in Legal Trouble if he Paid Gambling Debt
Shohei Ohtani is no Pete Rose. At least not yet. For one thing, as accomplished as Ohtani is at baseball, his career 684 hits pale in comparison with Rose’s 4,256, the most of any major league player. More pertinent to the news cycle is that Ohtani hasn’t been accused...
Does Wynn have a viable case against Fontainebleau?
Are noncompete clauses in gaming executive contracts enforceable? That’s a question that could emerge as Wynn Las Vegas’ recent lawsuit against Fontainebleau Las Vegas moves forward. The suit accuses Fontainebleau of illegally poaching Wynn executives under contract....

Baseball’s Betting Scandal: Is Shohei Ohtani in Jeopardy
Every lawyer should carry a parrot trained to say two words. Especially criminal defense attorneys. That way at their first meeting, the lawyer can put the parrot on the new client’s shoulder to repeat over and over again, “Don’t talk! Don’t talk!” If you have been...