Welcome to the first edition of the GME3: each week we review industry news and find one gambling story, one media story, and one entertainment story that we think is worth sharing.
Gambling
The Future of iGaming
After years of minimal activity, Canada’s iGaming landscape is rapidly changing. It is essential that operators and suppliers have the right tools in place to monitor and efficiently navigate the latest developments across the country.
Jack was on two panels this month to discuss iGaming in Canada. Common threads of both panels included which (if any) jurisdictions will regulate iGaming, how the provincial lottery corporations view “grey market” operators, how “grey market” activities could affect registration, and of course the latest on gambling advertising in Ontario.
The first panel was hosted by Gaming News Canada regarding the future of iGaming in Canada. Joining Jack was GBG’s Director of Gaming Rebekah Jackson, Kindred Group’s Canadian Country Manager Amanda Brewer, and CEO of PointsBet Canada Scott Vanderwel. The panel reviewed the past year of regulated iGaming in Ontario and offered predictions on where regulated Canadian iGaming could go next. Check out the full panel HERE.
The second panel was hosted by the International Masters of Gaming Law at the Canadian Gaming Summit as part of its Masterclass Series, highlighting key events from the first year of Canadian iGaming. Joining Jack was Ron Segev of Segev LLP, Kevin Weber of Dickinson Wright, and Tim Richards, Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy at Everi Holdings. The panel covered topics including the interplay between the iGaming markets of Ontario and the rest of Canada, enforcement of “grey-market” iGaming, legal challenges by First Nations groups, and advertising in Ontario.
Media
A.I’m Getting Fired
A New York lawyer was caught using Chat GPT to write his court briefs when it was discovered that six of the cases cited in his submission were entirely fictional. As a result, judges in some states are requiring lawyers to verify that filings were created without using AI, or that (at the very least) a human reviewed them before submission.
While AI will likely have some future involvement in legal work, it seems that legal professionals can feel confident in their job security, at least for now. In this case, it’s still unclear whether the judge will choose to sanction the responsible party, as the defense is arguing that the public embarrassment is deterrent enough from ever making the same mistake again.
On Tuesday we’ll be publishing an overview of Canada’s legal approach to AI, including the proposed Bill C-27. If your business uses AI, or you’re just concerned about how new technology will impact your industry make sure to follow us on LinkedIn so you don’t miss out!
Entertainment
More Celebrity Crypto Claims
Earlier this week a federal court in California released an 80-page opinion regarding the claims made against celebrities that endorsed the cryptocurrency Ethereum MAX (EMAX). The court’s findings were largely in line with FTC advertising guidelines, but they did note that, as with all advertisements, consumers should always examine celebrity endorsements in context. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian commonly use their platforms on Instagram for paid advertisement, so people should engage with their content using a healthy level of skepticism. EMAX is the latest of many celebrity crypto endorsement situations.
Whether you are Kim Kardashian or Tik Tok creator Frankie LaPenna’s alter ego Jim Kardashian, the rules related to celebrity endorsements can be confusing and vary from place to place. We’ve written about celebrity endorsement issues in the past and, more importantly, we proactively help our clients follow the laws applicable to influencers so they can safely focus on their brand.
