On November 10, a federal judge denied Novig’s request for temporary relief from New York State’s gambling laws. U.S. District Judge McMahon found that Novig’s sports contracts did not meet the definition of swap contracts, but also said that state gambling rules could still apply even if they did. The ruling preserved Novig’s federal exchange designation and was not a final decision on the merits of the case. Novig appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that same day.