{"id":99084,"date":"2023-03-13T10:16:39","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T14:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=99084"},"modified":"2026-02-02T16:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:10:12","slug":"a-safe-bet","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2023\/a-safe-bet\/","title":{"rendered":"A Safe Bet"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-center has-primary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1600\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash.jpg\" class=\"has-background-opacity has-background-opacity-90\" alt=\"A close up image of slot machines in a row\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-636x509.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-1033x826.jpg 1033w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-853x682.jpg 853w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-1290x1032.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-1651x1321.jpg 1651w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-430x344.jpg 430w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-661x529.jpg 661w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-860x688.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-1323x1058.jpg 1323w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-1705x1364.jpg 1705w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/slot-machines-nik-unsplash-1250x1000.jpg 1250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Nik via Unsplash<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Public Policy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA Safe Bet\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Orrick partner Jeremy Kudon (\u201900), who advocates for his clients in state capitals across the country, has helped pass a slew of laws legalizing sports betting, including in Massachusetts.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 13, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/rebecca-beyer\/\">Rebecca Beyer<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph record-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-default has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-primary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Several years ago, when <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.orrick.com\/en\/People\/E\/1\/8\/Jeremy-Kudon\" target=\"_blank\">Jeremy Kudon<\/a> (\u201900) began working with two competing online fantasy sports betting operators in their efforts to affirm the legality of their business practices across the country, he pitched the rivals on an unusual tactic: teamwork.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019d had success with that strategy in an earlier campaign on behalf of satellite TV providers DISH Network and DirecTV, which joined forces to defeat tax bills pushed by cable companies who wanted to protect their market share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image alignfarright\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy.jpg\" alt=\"Jeremy Kudon ('00), partner at Orrick\" class=\"wp-image-99095\" width=\"600\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy-509x636.jpg 509w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy-661x826.jpg 661w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy-546x682.jpg 546w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy-275x344.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy-423x529.jpg 423w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Kudon_Jeremy-550x688.jpg 550w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Jeremy Kudon (&#8217;00) and the public policy practice at Orrick have helped pass legislation that legalizes sports betting in dozens of states. | Photo courtesy of Jeremy Kudon and Orrick<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the face of industry-wide restrictions, competitors are \u201cmuch more similar than they are different,\u201d Kudon explains. \u201cThey\u2019re going through all the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kudon\u2019s pitch worked: His clients, DraftKings and FanDuel, teamed up on a massive lobbying blitz in which Kudon and the public policy practice he leads as a New York-based partner at Orrick have helped pass legislation in dozens of states legalizing bets on not only fantasy sports but actual sports, too. In Massachusetts, retail sports betting at casinos <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2023\/01\/25\/sports\/legal-sports-betting-begins-next-week-mass-casinos-are-bracing-whatever\/\" target=\"_blank\">began in January<\/a>, and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/news\/2023\/03\/10\/mobile-gambling-money-risk\" target=\"_blank\">online betting began on March 10<\/a>, just in time for March Madness (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wgbh.org\/news\/politics\/2023\/01\/30\/four-things-to-know-as-sports-betting-launches-in-massachusetts\" target=\"_blank\">under the new law in Massachusetts<\/a>, which Kudon and his team worked extensively on, residents cannot bet on Commonwealth college teams unless they are in a tournament with at least four other schools;&nbsp;no Massachusetts squads are playing in the Big Dance).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been very fortuitous,\u201d Kudon says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s something of an understatement considering the effort he has put in over the years. But Kudon\u2019s path to a policy-based practice that taps heavily into his passion for sports <em>was<\/em> somewhat fortuitous. He was well on his way to a career as a litigator when he was assigned to the courtroom battles DISH and DirecTV were fighting. But, after another associate who had been assigned to work on the legislative front for the clients bowed out, Kudon was eager to step in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI thought, \u2018I grew up in DC,\u2019\u201d Kudon laughs, remembering his eagerness to try something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, his skillset turned out to be well suited for state capitals. In addition to his work on sports betting, Kudon and his team have coordinated legislative campaigns for Warby Parker, car-sharing company Getaround, clean energy firms, and alcohol delivery outfit Drizly, among other clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote record-block-bu-pullquote alignwide is-style- has-image-focus-center-middle has-primary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><figure><\/figure><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">The best lawyers I know don\u2019t view the law as just what\u2019s in the book or on the page. They view it as a whole body\u2014from writing it to construing it to implementing it and then back to construing it again.<\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Jeremy Kudon (&#8217;00)<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Kudon says he loves being involved in the development of the law for so-called disruptor companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe best lawyers I know don\u2019t view the law as just what\u2019s in the book or on the page,\u201d he says. \u201cThey view it as a whole body\u2014from writing it to construing it to implementing it and then back to construing it again. I find it thrilling and every bit as intellectually challenging as what I was doing in litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kudon grew up in Potomac, Maryland. His love for sports was entwined with his love of law from the beginning: His father was a plaintiff-side antitrust attorney who worked with teams including soccer\u2019s Washington Diplomats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After graduating from Miami University in Ohio with a degree in history and political science in 1993, Kudon worked in the insurance industry for a few years to get a taste of the business world. He was accepted off the waitlist at Boston University School of Law, which he calls \u201cprobably the best possible thing that ever happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI had a great experience,\u201d he remembers. \u201cFor me it was life changing. I owe so much of my success to the school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kudon points to Professors <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/keith-n-hylton\/\" target=\"_blank\">Keith N. Hylton<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/michael-c-harper\/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael C. Harper<\/a>, and the late <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2016\/in-memoriam-professor-joseph-brodley\/\" target=\"_blank\">Joseph Brodley<\/a>, as particularly influential. But he says BU Law\u2019s writing requirements (now part of the Lawyering &amp; Advocacy Programs) were especially formative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was the most important thing I did in law school,\u201d he says. \u201cBar none. That\u2019s the thing that sets BU Law apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kudon received a C+ on his first paper; by the time he graduated summa cum laude, he was ranked third in his class. In his early career as an associate at Davis Polk &amp; Wardwell and Heller Ehrman, the writing skills he\u2019d developed at BU Law were an advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt big firms, in litigation, you\u2019re either writing or doing document review,\u201d he laughs. \u201cBecause I was a good writer, I got out of a lot of document review.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Heller went bankrupt, Kudon went to Orrick with E. Joshua Rosenkranz, who heads up the firm\u2019s Supreme Court and appellate practice. The DISH and DirecTV matters\u2014Kudon and his team have helped the satellite TV industry defeat more than 100 bills in 40 states\u2014were a turning point for his career. Kudon was good at legislative work; he also felt it offered him more room for growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like litigation, where there were 1,000 attorneys like me,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes I was the only lawyer from New York going to these states.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The success Kudon and his colleagues have had in passing sports betting laws is impressive, especially considering that federal law prohibited most gambling on sports until <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/17pdf\/16-476_dbfi.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a 2018 Supreme Court ruling<\/a>. But it hasn\u2019t been easy. New York posed an early challenge in the fantasy arena in 2015 when the attorney general there issued cease-and-desist letters to FanDuel and DraftKings. Kudon and his team sprang into action, <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2016\/06\/18\/new-york-has-passed-a-bill-legalizing-daily-fantasy-sports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">winning passage of a favorable law seven months later in the last hours of the last day of the state\u2019s legislative session<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bill\u2019s passage \u201ctook everything my team had,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s the only time I\u2019ve ever had tears in my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Kudon\u2019s major coups was to win over\u2014and eventually represent\u2014Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the PGA Tour, who all were initially opposed to his sports betting operator clients\u2019 business models. When they saw they couldn\u2019t stop the legalization of gambling, they signed conflict waivers so Kudon could advocate on their behalf too, including for laws that required the operators to use the leagues\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/11\/20\/business\/sports-betting-lobbying-kansas.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">official, real-time data<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat was a thrill,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kudon, a self-described \u201csports addict,\u201d says he loves his sports betting practice, which has been featured in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/11\/20\/business\/sports-betting-lobbying-kansas.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>New York Times<\/em><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/espn\/feature\/story\/_\/id\/17374929\/otl-investigates-implosion-daily-fantasy-sports-leaders-draftkings-fanduel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ESPN<\/a>, among other outlets. But he says he enjoys all his public policy matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cUltimately, I just love the process of passing or shaping legislation, no matter what the issue is,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re trying to solve a puzzle. For me, the joy is having all these different stakeholders and trying to find solutions for all of them so a bill can go forward. I love the legislative process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Several years ago, when Jeremy Kudon (\u201900) began working with two competing online fantasy sports betting operators in their efforts to affirm the legality of their business practices across the country, he pitched the rivals on an unusual tactic: teamwork.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11260,"featured_media":99088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":98430,\"hed\":\"Headed to the High Court\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard record-block-editorial-billboard is-style-half-photo has-light-overlay is-layout-align-left has-media\",\"backgroundId\":\"98447\",\"backgroundUrl\":\"\\\/law\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/Cesar-Lopez-Morales-SCOTUS-landscape-970x456.jpg\",\"backgroundType\":\"image\",\"backgroundOpacity\":\"100\"}","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":"Public Policy"},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3918,3744,4135,3786],"record-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/99084"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99084"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/99084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122684,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/99084\/revisions\/122684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99084"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=99084"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=99084"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=99084"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=99084"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=99084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}