WALLACH LEGAL, LLC

In recognition of his efforts and continued influence in the nationwide sports betting industry, PoliticsNY named Daniel 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.” In part due to Dan’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.   

To see the full list of PoliticsNY’s Sports Betting Power Players, click here.  

Daniel Wallach Opens the Country’s First Sports Betting-Focused Law Firm

Gaming attorney and sports betting legal expert, Daniel Wallach, has announced the formation of Wallach Legal LLC, a law firm devoted exclusively to the burgeoning field of sports wagering and gaming law in the United States. With the Supreme Court having declared the federal ban on state-sponsored sports betting to be unconstitutional, the sports betting industry has taken off in the United States. More than 30 states have legalized sports betting since the fall of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018, generating more than $100 billion in legal sports wagers in that time.

This exciting new vertical has created the need for legal professionals with proficiency in gaming law and an understanding of the complex legal and regulatory environment surrounding sports wagering. Known throughout the industry as “The Sports Betting Attorney,” Dan has counseled 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 start-up companies in navigating the complexity of U.S. gambling laws and regulations. He 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.

Dan is one of the nation’s foremost legal authorities in the field of sports gambling. He 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. Dan 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 Dan’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.

Dan’s thought leadership in the field has helped shape the national debate around sports betting legalization. His pathbreaking article, “Florida’s Gambling Compact Set Up to Fail? Federal Rejection of Mobile Sports Betting Likely to Trigger a Tribal Monopoly”, was the first to assert that the new online sports betting compact between the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act because it authorized gambling activities—such as the placing of a mobile bet—which originate entirely outside of Indian lands. With this article, Dan became the first to question the legality of the compact. Dan’s controversial opinion—he was the only attorney to declare that the compact violated federal law—proved prophetic six months later when a federal court invalidated the compact for the reasons cited in Dan’s article.  

In his home state of Florida, Dan 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. Dan’s 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. Dan 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. Dan has worked with virtually every stakeholder group in the State of Florida.  

Dan 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. Dan is an adjunct professor of law at the University of New Hampshire School of Law and 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, Dan 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.   

For inquiries, contact Dan at:    

Telephone: +1 305-725-9688   

Email address: wallachlegal@gmail.com   

Twitter: @WALLACHLEGAL