Hackney Publications (HP) has announced that Daniel Wallach, founder of Wallach Legal (https://sportsgaminglaw.com/), has been interviewed on the Sports Law Expert Podcast. The segment can be heard here.
Wallach is well-known in the sports industry as one of the foremost legal authorities in the country when it comes to sports betting legal issues. His firm Wallach Legal LLC is focused exclusively on this burgeoning field.
“Dan is the nation’s preeminent sports betting attorney,” said Holt Hackney, the CEO of Hackney Publications. “He is enlisted by professional sports teams, sports betting operators, fantasy sports companies, casinos, racetracks, skill-based gaming operators, video game developers, gaming vendors, sports integrity firms, sports data providers, peer-to-peer platforms, and startups to navigate the rapidly changing climate in this space.”
Wallach discusses legal trends in sports betting in the podcast, as well as recognizes those who have been instrumental in paving the way for his success, like University of New Hampshire Sports Law Professor and Journalist Michael McCann, as well as those attorneys with whom he works closely in the profession, like Dan Lust of Moritt Hock & Hamroff.
Among his many qualifications, Wallach is a general member of the prestigious International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL), an invitation-only organization for attorneys who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated performance and publishing in gaming law, significant gaming clientele and substantial participation in the gaming industry.
Wallach was recently named one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Figures in the US iGaming Industry” by US iGaming Hub. As described in the accompanying article, “[w]hat sets Wallach apart is his hands-on role in shaping some of the most significant developments in U.S. sports betting. His testimony was a game-changer in New York, helping to unlock the door to what would become the largest legal sports betting market in the country. In Florida, he’s been a critical voice in challenging the legality of the Seminole Tribe’s gaming compact, pushing the conversation on how state and federal laws intersect in the world of sports betting.”
In recognition of his efforts and continued influence in the nationwide sports betting industry, PoliticsNY named Wallach to their first-ever “Sports Betting Power Players” list, which recognizes those “who have worked both behind the scenes and at the forefront to guarantee the industry’s early success.”
Wallach speaks regularly to lawmakers, regulators and stakeholders seeking guidance on sports betting legislation. He has testified before the California Legislature, the Connecticut General Assembly, the Kentucky General Assembly, and the New York Senate as a subject matter expert on legal issues related to sports betting. He was invaluable in the efforts to pass an online sports betting law in New York. His Senate testimony in May 2019 helped persuade lawmakers that an amendment to the New York State Constitution was not a prerequisite to the legalization of online sports betting in New York and that the Legislature could accomplish that objective through a purely statutory enactment. In part due to Wallach’s crucial legislative testimony, online sports betting was finally approved in New York, creating the largest legal sports betting market in the United States with a record handle of nearly $2 billion in the first month alone.
In his home state of Florida, Wallach has blazed a path as one of the state’s most visible and reputable gaming lawyers, especially proficient in Florida’s laws and regulations surrounding pari-mutuel wagering, slot machine gaming, fantasy sports contests, and game promotions and sweepstakes. His reputation—both nationally and within the state—was such that he was asked by several Florida lawmakers and policymakers to draft key sections of a proposed Florida sports betting bill. He has advised multiple Florida professional sports teams on the legal landscape surrounding daily fantasy sports contests and Florida’s game promotions statute. Wallach is the author of the most authoritative article on the legality of daily fantasy sports contests in Florida, and is considered a leading expert on the hotly-debated issue of whether Florida Amendment 3—which bars any non-voter-approved expansion of casino gambling—applies to sports wagering, having authored three articles (here, here and here) devoted to that important topic. he has worked with virtually every stakeholder group in the State of Florida.
Wallach is the co-founding director of the University of New Hampshire School of Law’s Sports Wagering and Integrity Program, the nation’s first law school certificate program dedicated to the regulatory and legal aspects of sports wagering law and related integrity issues. He is also an adjunct professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law, where he designed the nation’s first law school course programs centered on sports betting law and regulation.
Prior to forming his own law firm in 2018, Wallach was a shareholder at Becker & Poliakoff, where he practiced for nearly 20 years, concentrating in business and appellate litigation and representing a variety of clients in the regulated gaming and sports betting industries. He is AV-Rated (the highest level attainable) by Martindale-Hubbell.
