This is a "would this be legal?" question. I want to do a sports gambling style of game where you can bet virtual money on nightly sports results. Each month you get a set amount of virtual dollars. You then bet those virtual dollars on real nightly sports events. At the end of the month whoever has the most money can cash it in for prizes. The software would be a free download and I wouldn't use any logos for professional sports teams. I would only use their team names (and I'd probably name them by city only just to be sure!). So far so good, right? NOW...in order to afford prizes, I'd have to charge for this. I was thinking of a monthly fee of $5. This is non-refundable and you are NOT gambling with it. Every month you'd get (lets say) $1000 virtual dollars, or credits. You gamble those. If you run out then your account is frozen for the rest of the month. You're not actually gambling real money. I think that's where I'm safe. Fantasy sports sites do it all the time. They charge a monthly fee and offer prizes. The $5/month you spend is not a gamble. You lose that money. You can't increase its value by betting. So how safe am I? Could I use NBA team names? Could I even refer to it as the NBA? I know I can probably just use city names, which is fine, but that gets confusing when there are 2 LA teams, so it would be nice if I could use team names too.

I would say BasketBall, then list cities.
As far as, the twin LA problem, that's easy.
say:
LA (1) --recent champions
LA (2) --never been champions

see? now everyone knows who's who [smile]

You absolutely will be shut down hard if you use the term NBA or the names of the teams.

Read the terms of use in NBA.com.

Quote: From NBA.com
The National Basketball Association ("NBA") name and logo and the names and logos of NBA.com and the NBA teams are the property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the member teams of the NBA. All other trademarks, logos and service marks (collectively, the "Trademarks") appearing on the Site are Trademarks of their respective owners. Nothing contained on the Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trademark displayed on the Site without the written permission of its respective owner. Your use of the Trademarks displayed on the Site, or any other content on the Site, except as provided in these Terms of Use, is strictly prohibited.

I think you'll have to get a written permission in order to use the team names from this site.

You could do like what GTA does for their vehicles... give them "similar" names which more or less parody real life ones.

"Chicago Bulls" become "Windy City Brahmas"
"NYC Knicks" become "Liberty Trousers"
"Utah Jazz" become "Ute State Funk"
and so on

...hmm maybe not. But it would be entertaining at least. :)