United States: Gaming

Gaming companies face mounting legal challenges as plaintiffs argue that loot box systems constitute illegal gambling under state law. The dispute centers on whether randomized in-game rewards with real economic value cross the line from traditional mystery products into regulated gambling territory, with courts now weighing arguments that could reshape the industry's most controversial monetization practice.

A federal district court has dismissed a six-year legal challenge to Oklahoma's 2020 tribal gaming compacts, ruling that the plaintiff tribes lacked standing to contest agreements between the state and the Comanche Nation and Otoe-Missouria Tribe. The decision provides greater operational certainty for tribal gaming enterprises while leaving unresolved broader questions about compact validity under federal law.

The legal fight over sports-related prediction-market contracts has moved quickly from regulatory novelty to a full-blown federal-state jurisdictional dispute. On August 28, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held in KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad that Nevada may continue enforcing its gaming laws against Kalshi’s sports-related event contracts because those contracts likely fall outside the category of swaps subject to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) exclusive jurisdiction under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA).

A former DraftKings sportsbook trader faces felony charges in Nevada for allegedly orchestrating a betting scheme involving a college basketball player who intentionally underperformed to profit from manipulated proposition wagers. The case reveals how integrity risks in sports betting can originate from industry insiders with specialized knowledge and access, raising questions about regulatory oversight and internal controls at gaming operators.

A federal court in Arizona has granted a preliminary injunction blocking the state from enforcing gambling laws against prediction market platforms, marking a significant victory for the CFTC and DOJ in their campaign to establish exclusive federal authority over event contracts. The ruling, which rests on three independent preemption grounds, emerges from a case involving criminal charges against prediction market platform Kalshi and represents the latest development in a nationwide legal battle over regul

Federal prosecutors and regulators have launched unprecedented enforcement actions against prediction market users, alleging insider trading and commodities fraud violations.

What happens when a jury decides that ​“fair and skill-based” gaming claims may have been anything but? In this episode, we unpack the blockbuster $420 million...

State Attorneys General are increasingly pursuing stricter consumer protection enforcement than federal regulators, often through multistate coalitions and independent lawsuits. This examination explores how AGs across political divides are banding together to address antitrust concerns, online platforms, and prediction markets with unprecedented coordination and independence.

For years, sports leagues and teams worked with state regulators within the legalized sports betting framework. Now prediction markets operate pursuant to a different legal and regulatory structure.