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Online program to focus on law, business of sports wagering, with emphasis on the legal and regulatory aspects and related integrity issues

The University of New Hampshire School of Law (UNH Law) has further established its leadership in innovative legal offerings, joining forces with Sportradar, the global leader in analyzing and leveraging the power of sports data, to offer the first-ever professional certificate in sports wagering and integrity.

This collaboration partners a leading sports and entertainment law program at one of the nation’s Top 100 law schools with the world’s leading supplier of sports data and integrity services. Together, they will deliver the nation’s first and only multi-semester law school program dedicated to the law and business of sports wagering and integrity.

The five-course certificate, the first two courses of which will be available in early 2019 and the other three later in 2019, is the first of its kind. It will be the only certificated law school program dedicated to the law and business of sports wagering. The certificate will center on the burgeoning regulatory environment that governs sports betting in the United States.

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting each of the 50 states to decide whether, and how, to allow sports betting means sports wagering law is a burgeoning, cutting-edge field. The May 2018 landmark ruling in Murphy v. NCAA (584 U.S. ____(2018) permits states to decide whether, and how, to allow sports betting. Several states have already enacted laws that will allow eligible businesses to obtain a sports wagering license and offer bets to consumers. Other states will join the list in the years ahead. Whether the federal government will re-enter this space and pass a new federal law is an open-ended question.

The program will be taught by leading attorneys, regulators and compliance professionals in sports wagering and integrity. It addresses “what happens next?”— the crucial question for law firms, businesses and state and local legislative bodies. It will explore how the current environment protects the integrity of sporting events, safeguards the privacy and rights of consumers and impacts the interests of professional sports leagues, the NCAA, the gaming industry and governmental entities. The certificate will educate students on the legal and regulatory considerations surrounding sports betting in the post-Murphy environment, with an emphasis on monitoring, the regulatory oversight of wagers from integrity and compliance perspectives.

“The practice of integrity monitoring is critical in today’s sports wagering environment,” said UNH Associate Dean Michael McCann, an expert in the field and the program’s co-founding director, as well as one of its instructors. “When successful, it empowers gaming companies, regulators, sports leagues and other affected parties to monitor all aspects of wagers, operators and sports. With such monitoring, patterns and trends can be detected and appropriate enforcement steps can be exercised. Our intent is to provide a thorough grounding for professionals in the field, providing them with important skills and insights on the issues and complexities related to sports wagering.”

“As the global leader in safeguarding sports integrity, Sportradar is proud to help pioneer this very important and first-of-its kind program,” said Dr. Laila Mintas, the Deputy President of Sportradar US and one of the lead instructors. “It will help participants get educated and better prepared to participate in a total new industry and to understand not only the challenges that lie ahead but also the opportunities available in the fast-developing sports betting market in the US.”

The Sports Wagering and Integrity program is designed for working professionals, including practicing lawyers, gaming industry professionals, sports industry professionals, lawmakers and regulators, and anyone interested in a career in sports gaming. You do not need to apply to law school or have a legal background (B.A. is required). It will be delivered via an innovative online asynchronous platform, allowing working professionals to complete coursework on their own schedule. They will have the ability to access archived content, participate in group discussions and take advantage of instructors’ virtual office hours.

“Given the recent changes in policy around sports wagering, it’s more important than ever that lawyers and other professionals related to the field understand the regulatory and business environment,” said Megan Carpenter, Dean, UNH Law. “This certificate is part of our commitment to provide relevant, career-enhancing education to those in the legal fields, as well as other professionals seeking expertise in specific fields. The program enables students to benefit from the collective expertise and knowledge of leaders from UNH Law and Sportradar, and I’m confident will serve as a valuable resource.”

The idea for the certificate comes from Daniel Wallach, one of the most prominent gaming attorneys in the United States. Wallach, the co-founding director of the program and one of its adjunct professors, has counseled major professional sports teams, sports betting operators, fantasy sports companies, racetracks, casinos, equipment manufacturers and other gaming industry participants on a wide spectrum of gaming-related matters. He is the media “go-to” person or all things sports betting and the law. Wallach also writes for Forbes and other publications and has mentored UNH Law students and supervised legal residencies.

“The certificate program will be a pioneer in the transforming subject of sports and wagering integrity in the United States,” said Wallach. “With the repeal of the federal ban on state-authorized sports betting, the focus going forward will be on developing the legal and regulatory environment governing sports wagering. The paramount consideration in any future regulatory and legal framework should be on protecting the ‘integrity’ of the sporting events and ensuring that they remain free of match-fixing and other corruptive influences. This program will provide participants with the tools for understanding how the legal and integrity issues intersect.”

The program consists of five courses which will qualify participants for certification. The first two courses – “Introduction to U.S. Sports Betting Law and Regulation” (led by McCann and Wallach, and taught by a “who’s who” of prominent gaming attorneys and regulators), and “Safeguarding Sport Integrity & Advanced Integrity Monitoring” (led by Mintas) – will be offered in the Spring of 2019.

Confirmed instructors include Bryce Blum (ESG Law), Andy Cunningham (Sportradar), Mark Hichar (Greenberg Traurig), Jeremy Kudon (Orrick Herrington), Jay McDaniel (state regulatory attorney), Charles McIntyre (state lottery director), Ali Miranda (Bingham Greenebaum Doll, LLP), Harris Peskin (ESG Law), Anna Sainsbury (GeoComply), Tommy Shepherd (Jones Walker), Philip Sicuso (Bingham Greenebaum Doll, LLP), Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier (Snell & Wilmer), Justin Stempeck (state regulatory attorney), and Jake Williams (Sportradar).

Additional adjunct professors will be announced shortly.

Source: University of New Hampshire School of Law

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