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WPT Global has drawn equal parts criticism and mockery for its choice of admitted poker cheat Tony ‘Ren’ Lin as its latest ambassador.
On Monday (January 12), WPT Global announced that Tony ‘Ren’ Lin had been appointed, writing on X: “Tony ‘Ren’ Lin joins WPT Global as our newest Ambassador! One of the most accomplished players on the global live circuit, Tony brings over $16 million in live earnings and years of success on poker’s biggest stages.”

NEW AMBASSADOR
Tony ‘Ren’ Lin joins WPT Global as our newest Ambassador!
One of the most accomplished players on the global live circuit, Tony brings over $16 million in live earnings and years of success on poker’s biggest stages.
Welcome, Tony! pic.twitter.com/QvD13HDKjL
— WPT Global (@wpt_global) January 12, 2026

However, the decision has been met with criticism on social media, as Lin has previously admitted to cheating, serving a suspension from poker in the second half of 2025. Lin was disqualified from the World Series of Poker Super Circuit Main Event in Cyprus last year for using prohibited real-time assistance (RTA), resulting in the player being “indefinitely suspended” from both GGPoker and WSOP events as a result.
Other World Poker Tour brands, including the parent brand, have distanced themselves from WPT Global in the wake of the announcement. ClubWPT Gold posted a picture of controversial alleged poker scammer Maurice Hawkins on X, joking that it had signed him as an ambassador too.

And while we’re at it… pic.twitter.com/TTDDQfbZjP
— ClubWPT Gold (@ClubWPTGold) January 12, 2026

The World Poker Tour took to X in a now-deleted post to say: “WPT Global is a licensee of the World Poker Tour. We do not officially endorse any of their ambassadors.” By Tuesday, Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin of the Chip Race podcast stepped down as ambassadors over the appointment.
WPT Global doubles down on hiring Tony “Ren” Lin as backlash spreads across poker’s social media. Credit: WPT Global / X
In a statement posted on X, the duo wrote: “In June 2025, we joined WPT Global as ambassadors, putting The Chip Race content slate under their sponsorship. We are enormously appreciative of the role that Cameron Soane played in putting that deal together. We saw WPT Global making waves in the poker space and, in particular, investing in the Irish market. We wanted to be a part of that and believed that our brands aligned, both in objectives and values.
“The signing of Ren Lin as a Global Ambassador came as a shock to us. Given our personally held and outspoken views on the scandal surrounding him, it was immediately obvious that our continued roles with the company were untenable. As a result, we are parting ways with WPT Global.”

ANNOUNCEMENT pic.twitter.com/zPqEdR8yyR
— The Chip Race (@thechiprace) January 13, 2026

WPT Global doubles down
WPT Global has doubled down on its choice of ambassador since then, writing in a now-deleted X post: “We’re thorough when reviewing every ambassador we work with, including Tony Lin, and we have full confidence in his integrity and standards. We select ambassadors based on proven performance and results, not follower counts.
“Players like @TheBradOwen & @rampagepoker are great at farming vlog watchers, but are they great poker players? While others may prioritise ‘influence. We stand apart.”

https://t.co/FQnDmnQ0Mt
— WPT Global (@wpt_global) January 12, 2026

In a second, longer statement also shared to X, WPT Global indirectly acknowledged the cheating scandal, writing: “WPT Global remains dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, security, and fairness in online poker. Our decision to collaborate with Tony is rooted in our belief in second chances and our focus on the future.”
Featured image: WPT Global
The post WPT Global draws criticism for choosing Tony ‘Ren’ Lin as an ambassador appeared first on ReadWrite.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) and the Indian Gaming Association (IGA) are calling on Congress to step in as crypto-based prediction markets roll out a new wave of sports-betting-style contracts, saying these products could sidestep and weaken state and tribal gaming laws.
In a joint letter sent to lawmakers in both chambers, the two groups asked that the issue be addressed as part of cryptocurrency legislation currently moving through Congress.
“We write to urge timely congressional action to address the explosion of unregulated sports event contracts being offered by prediction markets,” the groups wrote.

Today, the AGA and Indian Gaming Association sent a letter urging Congress to use cryptocurrency market structure legislation to end nationwide sports betting disguised as “event contracts.”
Read the letter https://t.co/iUZ3qSgw4T
— American Gaming Association (@AmericanGaming) January 12, 2026

The groups say these contracts look and act a lot like regular sports bets, but they’re being offered outside the rules that licensed sportsbooks have to follow. What started early last year as simple bets on who would win a game has since grown into more complicated options, including parlays and even contracts tied to where players might end up.
“Since these contracts, that are indistinguishable from legal sports betting, were launched last January, they have grown exponentially in trading volume and have expanded beyond the outcome of single games to include complex parlays and even potential wagers on the collegiate transfer portal,” the letter stated.
The groups also argue that prediction market platforms registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are taking advantage of weak enforcement to push the boundaries of what they’re allowed to offer.
“This growth has occurred by exploiting regulatory inaction by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which undermines state law and tribal sovereignty and flies in the face of existing federal laws and regulation intended to protect consumers and the integrity of our nation’s financial markets,” they wrote.
Gaming groups call on Congress to crackdown on crypto prediction markets
They say Congress now has a chance to step in by putting limits on these products into the crypto market legislation that’s currently moving through Capitol Hill.
“We firmly believe that congressional consideration of cryptocurrency market structure legislation provides an important, bipartisan opportunity to prevent sports betting and casino gambling under the guise of ‘event contracts,’” the groups said.
The AGA and IGA say regulated gaming companies have to play by a long list of rules designed to protect consumers, while prediction market platforms face far fewer limits, from lower age requirements to looser compliance standards. They argue that this lets the platforms sidestep state and tribal authority and avoid paying taxes that help support public services.
In their letter, the groups also say these contracts break a range of federal and state laws, including the Commodity Exchange Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the Wire Act. They point out that several state attorneys general have already said the platforms are operating illegally.
They also warn that prediction markets are starting to move into more sensitive territory, including bets tied to foreign conflicts and political figures.
“Most recently, questions and concerns have been raised regarding contracts tied to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and ongoing armed conflicts abroad – categories that would never be permitted under state or tribal law,” the letter said.
The groups warned that the platforms blur the line between gambling and investing while exposing consumers to serious risks.
“These contracts are being offered in flagrant disregard of state laws, tribal sovereignty, the Commodity Exchange Act, and CFTC regulations,” the letter stated, adding that they “mislead consumers into believing that a sports bet is an investment, fail to protect the young and the vulnerable, open the door to money laundering, match fixing and insider trading.”
The letter also cited comments by CFTC Chairman Michael Selig during his confirmation hearing, saying he would defer to Congress while related lawsuits are pending.
“During his confirmation hearing, Chairman Selig made it clear that the CFTC would not rein in sports betting contracts under his leadership, instead deferring to the outcome of litigation that could take years to be fully resolved,” the groups wrote. “However, Mr. Selig also said that the CFTC would follow Congress if they were to step in and speak on these contracts.”
The organizations urged lawmakers to explicitly bar gambling-style contracts on CFTC-regulated platforms.
“Therefore, it is critical that Congress act swiftly to include legislative language in the cryptocurrency market structure legislation that reenforces existing law and prohibits gaming through CFTC-registered platforms,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, and David Z. Bean, chairman of the Indian Gaming Association.
Featured image: American Gaming Association / Indian Gaming Association
The post AGA and Indian Gaming Association urge Congress to curb crypto prediction markets threatening betting appeared first on ReadWrite.

Kalshi has been granted a temporary restraining order after it filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council, arguing it tried to engage “in good faith” but was only met with a cease and desist.
In a lawsuit filed against the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council on Friday (January 9), Kalshi has claimed that it attempted to open a dialogue with the Council but representatives refused to meet with the prediction market operator. This was then followed with a cease-and-desist letter to Kalshi, as well as two other prediction markets, that demanded Kalshi stop all operations in Tennessee.
The judge on the lawsuit granted a temporary restraining order for Kalshi against the council pending a hearing on January 12, as confirmed by a statement seen by ReadWrite, reasoning: “Plaintiff [Kalshi] is likely to succeed on the merits of its claims and its rights will likely be violated by Defendants [the Council] through the enforcement of preempted state laws.”
Kalshi’s argument against the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council
The lawsuit challenged the decision to block prediction markets in Tennessee, arguing that Kalshi’s operations should only be governed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This suit was filed on the same day as the cease-and-desist letters was sent, including an assertion from Kalshi that it believed the Council would imminently bring an enforcement action against the company, despite allegedly telling Kalshi that no such action was planned.

Kalshi sued the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council on Friday, although the case did not get docketed until today. The case has been assigned to Judge Aleta A. Trauger in the Middle District of Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/H7SxgHJHNj
— Andrew Kim (@akhoya87) January 12, 2026

“Kalshi has endeavored in good faith to reach an accommodation with Tennessee,” the company states in the lawsuit, as seen in legal documents shared by litigator Andrew Kim. “Over the past several months, Kalshi’s counsel has attempted to discuss the matter with the Tennessee AG, to no avail.”
The prediction market also included emails from a representative for the company with Lacey Mase, the Chief Deputy Attorney General in Tennessee, as proof that attempts were made to start a conversation. However, Mase responded saying that she “didn’t have anything to share with Kalshi at the moment”, but that if circumstances changed, she would arrange a call.

Kalshi alleges that it made several attempts to have a conversation with Tennessee officials about its event contracts, but that those officials largely refused to engage — that is, until the Sports Wagering Council sent a cease-and-desist. pic.twitter.com/mC5vtTlovC
— Andrew Kim (@akhoya87) January 12, 2026

That email was dated January 6, with the cease-and-desist letters sent just three days letter on January 9.
Kalshi is not new to facing lawsuits attempting to block its operations in other states in the US, having filed counter-suits in Nevada, New York, and Connecticut, as just a few examples. In all of those cases, the prediction market has argued that regulation of it and other prediction markets should be carried out by the CFTC.
Featured image: Kalshi
The post Kalshi granted temporary restraining order against Tennessee Sports Wagering Council after cease and desist appeared first on ReadWrite.