A. Jeff Ifrah

FOUNDING MEMBER

"I defend executives and companies against high-stakes claims or actions that could take them out of the US iGaming marketplace."

Overview

Jeff Ifrah’s legal skills and record of success have earned him international recognition as a white-collar criminal defense lawyer and litigator. He is an advocate keenly focused on delivering results for his clients – on understanding the problems they face and developing innovative strategies to resolve them.

Considered one of the world’s foremost attorneys in Online Gaming Law, Jeff is ranked as a Global Market Leader in Chambers & Partners’ Global Gaming Guide. He is also ranked in Band 1 for Gaming & Licensing Law (USA-Nationwide) in Chambers USA, which notes that he “is well known for handling regulatory and litigation matters in the online gaming and sports betting space. His client list includes international operators of mobile betting platforms, as well as US-based groups.” During their research process, a client told Chambers, “Jeff Ifrah is second to none when it comes to online gaming and sports betting; his legal and business insights are invaluable,” and another said, “Jeff is a standout lawyer. He knows the industry and he’s an effective advocate.” Ifrah Law has been at the center of most of the important prosecutions and lawsuits in the iGaming industry.

Jeff leverages his decades of experience in betting and wagering law to advise startups in the eSports space, including both real money and skill-based p2p competition sites, on compliance with both state and federal law. His clients in the sports betting arena include FanDuel, Delaware North, Sportradar, Bet365, Playtech, and Worldpay. Jeff and his team have also gained a strong reputation in other related internet-based industries such as payment processing and money transmission.

Of special importance to the gaming community is Jeff’s role in founding iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA), a non-profit association seeking to grow jobs and expand online interactive entertainment business in the U.S. through advocacy and education. Members include Boyd Gaming, DraftKings, Fanatics, Light & Wonder, and Worldpay, among others. On behalf of iDEA, Ifrah Law submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the seminal sports betting case Murphy v. NCAA, which was decided in favor of iDEA’s argument urging the rights of states to direct their own economies.

Jeff cut his teeth as a trial lawyer and officer in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps and as trial counsel to the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth. He then gained invaluable experience as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey.

He went on to become of counsel to the global law firm Paul Hastings and then a shareholder in the litigation department of another global firm, Greenberg Traurig. Often litigating cases against the federal government, he achieved a string of victories in cases involving criminal and civil antitrust laws, securities laws and the Civil False Claims Act. He defended some of the most well-known businesses in the country in industries such as pharmaceuticals, health care and technology.

Jeff is a member of the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court, an invitation-only professional organization devoted to white collar practice that includes federal and local judiciary members in the District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Justice officials, and some of the most established defense attorneys in Washington, D.C. Jeff also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law’s “Advanced Regulation of Sports Betting” course; the first-ever law school certificate program dedicated to the regulatory and legal aspects of sports wagering law and integrity issues.

He is also active in the publishing arena: he currently serves on the editorial and advisory board of Online Gambling Lawyer. His commentary has been featured in national media like The Baltimore Sun, and he is a frequent speaker at industry events around the world like the Esports Bar Association Convention.  A leading national authority in federal sentencing laws, Jeff is co-author of Federal Sentencing for Business Crimes, the only comprehensive treatise on federal sentencing in the context of business and white-collar crimes.

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Awards + Recognitions

Benchmark Litigation Award - Litigation Star 2024
GI Hot 50 Award Logo
Trailblazers Award Logo
  • Chambers Global, Gaming & Gambling, 2024
  • Chambers USA, Gaming & Licensing (Band 1: Nationwide), 2015 – 2024
  • Chambers USA, White Collar Crime and Government Investigations (Washington, DC), 2011 – 2024
  • Benchmark Litigation, Litigation Star: White Collar Crime (USA National; Washington, DC), 2015-2024
  • Gaming Intelligence Magazine, Hot 50 List, 2012; 2020
  • National Law Journal, Sports & Entertainment Trailblazers, 2019
  • National Law Journal, Litigation Trailblazers, 2015
  • Nightingale’s Healthcare News, Outstanding Fraud and Compliance Lawyer, May 2006
  • "Expert News Source", Corporate Governance and Securities, and Health Care/Pharmaceutical, LexisNexis
  • Meritorious Service Award, U.S. Army
  • DOD, Holds Top Secret Clearance

Credentials

Education
  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, J.D. - Symposium editor for the Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal
  • Yeshiva University, M.A., Medieval History
  • Yeshiva University, B.A., Political Science and Sociology

Admitted to Practice
  • District of Columbia
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Pennsylvania

Previous Experience
  • U.S. Army, JAG Officer, Judge Advocate General’s Corps
  • U.S. Army, Trial Counsel, Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth
  • Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey
  • Greenberg Traurig, Partner
  • Paul Hastings, Of Counsel

Professional Community
  • Founding Member, iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA)
  • Adjunct Professor, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law
  • Member, Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court
  • Member, UNLV Gaming Law Journal Advisory Board
  • Member, Online Gambling Lawyer Editorial Board
  • Member, ABA Criminal Justice Section
  • Member, International Masters of Gaming Law

Languages
  • French
  • Hebrew

Jeff's Insights

Investment Giant Clears State Regs, Gains Major iGaming Equity Stake
Ifrah on iGaming |
Mar 4, 2024

Investment Giant Clears State Regs, Gains Major iGaming Equity Stake

By: Jeff Ifrah
Fast-Paced, Multi-Pronged Partnership Deal Lets London Financial Giant Access U.S. iGaming Market
Ifrah on iGaming |
Feb 15, 2024

Fast-Paced, Multi-Pronged Partnership Deal Lets London Financial Giant Access U.S. iGaming Market

By: Jeff Ifrah
Cross-Border Acquisition Helps Canadian Firm Gain Traction in U.S. iGaming Markets
Ifrah on iGaming |
Jan 10, 2024

Cross-Border Acquisition Helps Canadian Firm Gain Traction in U.S. iGaming Markets

By: Jeff Ifrah
iGaming Company Takes on State Licensing Commission’s Rejection – Achieves Rare Victory
Ifrah on iGaming |
Nov 20, 2023

iGaming Company Takes on State Licensing Commission’s Rejection – Achieves Rare Victory

By: Jeff Ifrah

Case Studies

Domain Name Seizure Reversed, Favorable Settlement Gained

Ifrah Law’s client, a Russian corporation, was charged in the United States District Court
for the District of Columbia with violating the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(CFTC) Act.

The company is comprised of a group of financial and investment companies that provide
online trading services. The government alleged that the defendants operated a foreign
currency exchange business over the Internet, which served U.S. customers but did not
register with the CFTC, as is required by law. The government was seeking $280,000 in
potential fines and the worldwide shutdown of the lucrative website.

After the government obtained a default judgment against the defendant, they turned to
Ifrah Law. With our representation and expertise in financial matters, the case was settled
for a small fine and the website remains operable outside of the United States.

(CFTC v. InstaForex, Case No. 1:11-cv-00188 (U.S. District Court, District of Columbia))

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Protesting Procurement Irregularities to Keep a Client in Competition

A client contractor participated in a procurement competition over a multi-award contract with the Department of the Army that was valued at almost half a billion dollars. After submitting a proposal, our client (along with other bidders) was excluded from the competition because of a deficiency in a proposed labor rate. The other excluded parties protested to the Government Accountability Office, and the Army permitted five of the protesting parties to rejoin the bidding process.

With just a week left before the final proposal revisions were due, our client asked us for help. We filed a U.S. Court of Federal Claims protest asking to reverse the exclusion based on irregularities in the procurement process. We also asked for an injunction to prevent the bidding process from ending.

As a result of our filing and subsequent negotiations with the Department of Justice, our client was permitted to rejoin the bidding and to submit a revised bid.

(Platinum Business Corporation, et al. v. United States, 1:12-cv-00001, Court of Federal Claims, Bid Protest (2012))

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Obtaining a Reversal of Conviction and Sentence Reduction for Securities Fraud

Ifrah Law represented a former Homestore.com executive, Stuart Wolff, who was indicted for securities fraud. During a six-year battle with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the trial and appellate teams worked together to secure a reversal of the client’s conviction and a new trial.

In the months leading up to the second trial, the defense team, which included Jeff Ifrah of Ifrah Law, leveraged irregularities with discovery to obtain dismissal of all charges related to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Homestore’s former accounting firm. As a result, the sentence on remand was reduced by 70 percent relative to the sentence imposed after the first trial.

Jeff Ifrah was the only attorney Mr. Wolff retained from the beginning of the case to its conclusion. Mr. Ifrah began managing the legal team after the first trial, continued through the appellate process, and also in the team’s preparation for trial on remand.

Jeff Ifrah was responsible for formulating and executing the strategy that resulted in the 70 percent reduction of Mr. Wolff’s sentence.

(U.S. v. Wolff, Case No. 2:05-cr-00398 (U.S. District Court, Central District of California))

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