Ex-NFL Player Tries to Take Marijuana De-Scheduling Lawsuit to U.S. Supreme Court

Ex-NFL player Marvin Washington and a group of medical marijuana patients told the Second Circuit that they will attempt to get their marijuana de-scheduling lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2017, the patients sued the DEA, arguing that marijuana was improperly classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. Schedule I drugs, which include heroin and LSD, are treated by the DEA as having a high potential for abuse and no clinical value. The patients alleged that the DEA’s …

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New York Appellate Court Rules Fantasy Sports is Illegal Gambling

The New York Appellate Division, Third Department, has ruled that fantasy sports betting is illegal gambling in New York State, reversing a 2016 law that had permitted the activity.

Previously, the legislature passed a law regulating daily fantasy sports, stating that the practice was legal within state limits. Opposition to the bill pointed out that the New York State Constitution prohibits lawmakers from legalizing gambling absent an amendment to the State Constitution. Meanwhile, proponents of the bill argued that the activity failed to meet the …

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Game On: FaZe Clan’s $20 Million Lawsuit Against eSports Gamer Will Continue

A federal judge will allow a $20 million contract lawsuit filed by FaZe Clan Inc. against a popular eSports star to proceed.

In May 2019, Fortnite player and social media celebrity, Turner Tenney, known to fans as “Tfue,” sued FaZe Clan, a popular eSports organization, in California state court. Tenney alleged that FaZe lured him and other gamers into “grossly oppressive, onerous and one-sided” contracts, allowing FaZe to make millions while Tenney earned a mere $60,000. He also filed a complaint with the California Labor …

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NCAA Offers Lifeline: College Athletes To Benefit From Name, Image, Likeness

The NCAA announced it is starting the process to allow student-athletes to benefit off their name, image, and likeness. The move comes after multiple states introduced legislation permitting student-athletes to earn this form of compensation.

Previously, we reported California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law the Fair Pay to Play Act. The law will take effect January 1, 2023 and will allow student-athletes to enter into endorsement deals. Since Gov. Newsom signed the California bill, multiple states introduced legislation, including New York. The move …

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New York Introduces Bill Entitling College Athletes to Ticket Sale Proceeds

New York Sen. Kevin S. Parker (D-Brooklyn) recently introduced a bill that would allow college athletes to become eligible to receive compensation.

The bill would allow college athletes to sign endorsements, but was recently amended to allow athletes to also enjoy a 15 percent cut of the income generated from ticket sales. This change comes after reports revealed Parker planned to add language that required schools to share 15 percent of all athletics revenue with athletes.

“At the conclusion of each school year, each college …

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The Battle for Student-Athlete Pay Rages: New York Joins the Movement

California’s state legislature passed The Fair Pay for Play Act (SB-206), which is designed to allow student-athletes to earn compensation through the use of their name, image, and likeness. Previously, we reported that two South Carolina state lawmakers intend to introduce a similar bill.

On September 23, 2019, the Empire State joined the movement after New York State Sen. Kevin S. Parker introduced a bill similar in language to the bill California recently passed. Parker believes this is about equity. He understands that student-athletes are …

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Bills to Permit Sports Wagers at NYC Arenas Being Discussed

Legislation is on the New York Assembly floor that would allow betting at sporting venues like Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, and The Barclays Center. Assembly Bill A06113 was amended on June 6, 2019 to allow a sports stadium or arena in a county without a horse track or casino to offer sports betting. The bill is sponsored by Gary Pretlow, the chairman of the Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee.

The amendment would revise Bill S 17, which dealt with mobile sports gambling, …

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Status of Online Sports Betting in New York

New York’s legislature approved back in April 2019 the 2019-20 state budget of $175 billion. Notably, while provisions had been considered for inclusion into the budget regarding online sports betting, lawmakers ultimately nixed the issue from the final version of the budget.

Background

To date, the most obtrusive hurdle to overcome in the eyes of the legislators is the New York State Constitution. While Governor Andrew Cuomo has no opposition to limited, on-site sports betting at particular upstate casinos, he has consistently maintained that a …

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New York State Collects $3 Million from Legal Fantasy Sports

On January 10, 2017, at a hearing, Peter Schoenke, chairman of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA), told the New York State Racing and Wagering Committee that New York State would receive more than $3 million in tax revenue generated between January and November 2017, from daily sports fantasy operations. The $3 million is just an estimate and is expected to increase considering figures from December 2017 have yet to be finalized. The object of the hearing was to review the Daily …

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Will Showtime Take a Blow for Streaming Issues in Highly-Anticipated Mayweather-McGregor Fight?

In August, Showtime aired the highly-anticipated fight of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. Customers had to pay $99.95 to live stream the event. However, some angry customers filed class actions against Showtime, NeuLion, Zuffa, Zuffa owner William Morris, and Endeavor Entertainment LLC alleging that the live streams did not live up to expectations. The cases are spread out through districts in New York, Nevada, California, and Oregon. Customers are upset because highly-anticipated live stream was disrupted because of pay-per-view issues.

Specifically, customers allege that “as …

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