Well, while the chosen name "Assassination Market" is intentionally quite provocative, Sanjuro's 'AM' site includes some appropriate caveats (they will pay regardless of the nature of the death, including presumably:  Accidents, natural disasters, illnesses, suicide, etc) that ought to make it the overall system legal.   (At least, legal with the exception of some people out there who might commit murder.)   
         Jim Bell


From: David - <vfwavrwava@yandex.com>
To: "cypherpunks@cpunks.org" <cypherpunks@cpunks.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2014 12:51 AM
Subject: Re: Updates on the Death Prediction Lottery.

 Thank you for your ideas. There is indeed a very important distinction here.
 
I am quite sure that 'Assassination Market' would be illegal. That being said I run a 'death prediction lottery', which is something else entirely. 
 
 
19.01.2014, 12:30, "Jim Bell" <jamesdbell8@yahoo.com>:
From: David - <vfwavrwava@yandex.com>
>Some updates to DPL.
>1) I have added a lot of names, mainly FISA court members and people from intelligence agencies.
>2) I have decided not to have multiple pools but to have every name in the same death pool. Most names qualify for 75% of the pool funds, a few for 100%.>
>
>The list is not complete yet, and I would consider any suggestions that I might receive.
>D.

I recommend that you ask for "ideas", not "suggestions.  While I see no reason to believe that a "death prediction lottery" is illegal, any prosecutor salivating to victimize people would want to charge 'conspiracy', an extraordinarily broad charge.   A 'conspiracy' is an agreement by two or more people to commit a crime, and at least one action done in furtherance of that crime. Asking for 'suggestions'  implies an offer, and giving the 'suggestion' implies an agreement, and the implementation of that agreement could be called the completion of that conspiracy.  Asking for mere 'ideas', instead of 'suggestions', tends to isolate the source of those ideas from responsibility. 

I wish somebody (one not associated with any DPL, 'AM', 'AP', etc) would file a lawsuit in federal court, challenging the government to prove that a 'death prediction lottery' or 'Assassination Market' is necessarily illegal.  That's because currently the Feds may be secretly planning to file charges against 'AM's Sanjuro or others, and it would be better to pre-challenge them, before they can act like heroes, sweep in, and arrest the 'evil criminals'.
         Jim Bell