Quoted

October 21st, 2022

State Regulators Charge NFT Casino Project With Securities Violations

Blockchain Technology Co-Chair Jeremy S. Goldman is quoted in the article, “State Regulators Charge NFT Casino Project With Securities Violations” published by Decrypt. The article discusses the emergency cease-and-desist orders filed against Slotie by state securities regulators from Texas, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Alabama. Jeremy believes it makes perfect sense that an NFT project like Slotie would be one of the first to incur a securities regulator’s wrath. He is quoted saying, “This is low-hanging fruit. [Slotie NFTs] are marketed as giving the holders a passive income in revenue that's generated through the efforts of Slotties and its partners, which is the definition of a security.” One reason these states may have chosen to pursue Slotie for securities violations, Jeremy says, is the fact that the case pertains to gambling, a highly regulated and closely monitored sector of state law enforcement. He says, “I imagine that part of the reason it came from the states is because they started with concern over gambling. And then, I guess, as a matter of litigation strategy and enforcement, they thought that the securities angle was an easier shot.”

Jeremy sees the biggest development from this week’s enforcement action against Slotie to be the indication that there could be even more dogs in that fight than previously anticipated. He says, “The federal agencies are not the only sheriffs in town. I can only speculate, but it does feel to me that there's some jockeying for power and control. And this is a signal that the states still have a role to play when it comes to even securities in the crypto space.”

Read the full article here.