Regulated Commercial Gaming

We represent all stakeholders in commercial gaming jurisdictions, including casinos, manufacturers, distributors, financial institutions, vendors, and individuals.

Our gaming lawyers regularly appear before the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Nevada Gaming Commission and have participated in regulatory and licensing matters in ‎numerous tribal, state, and international jurisdictions. As internet casinos and sports betting opportunities continue to grow across the U.S., our team assists clients in expanding their reach. We monitor national and international developments and can help our clients explore and capitalize on new opportunities through our own expertise and our worldwide network of gaming contacts—all in an effort to help our clients achieve their goals.

Licensing, Permitting, and Approvals 

Gaming is a highly regulated industry with an array of licenses, permits, and approvals, including operating licenses, land use permits, and suitability approvals for officers, directors, shareholders, and lenders. It is imperative, therefore, to have knowledgeable counsel to assist with navigating the complex regulatory frameworks. We work with our clients and the applicable governmental agencies to structure operations, and obtain the licenses, permits, and approvals, in the most efficient manner possible.

Legislative and Regulatory Adoption

From drafting to enactment, we counsel governments, regulatory agencies, tribes, and companies operating in the gaming sector to ensure that new laws and regulations are consistent with our clients’ needs and expectations.

Compliance and Enforcement

We represent and counsel our clients in their continuous efforts to maintain compliance with the gaming regulatory requirements. We have written many gaming compliance plans and frequently assist clients in the proper implementation of those plans.

Gaming-Related Counsel to Non-Gaming Companies

We provide legal representation to numerous non-gaming companies that are affiliated with gaming. For example, we represent financial institutions, institutional investors, and gaming entities on all sides of financial transactions, including the origination and renegotiation of secured and unsecured loans, as well as public offerings and private placements of both equity and debt securities.

We advise national advertising companies, payment processors, geo-location and patron identification providers, service providers, and social media platforms as they look to partner with, market, and provide services to gaming companies. This includes not only analysis of the legality of the underlying gaming activity but also the responsibilities and restrictions on non-gaming partners.

These companies rely on us for legal advice regarding assessment of how gambling laws impact them, structuring of business deals to minimize risk, and identifying potential licensing requirements as well as maintaining compliance with gaming regulations.

Sports Betting

Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (“PASPA”) on May 14, 2018, the sports betting industry has seen its relationship with sports leagues, media, and state officials dramatically improve. To capitalize, states have raced to enact legislation authorizing and regulating sports betting.

Our gaming lawyers, who are based in Nevada (the first state to regulate sports betting and which had a legal monopoly of sports betting until the Supreme Court struck down PASPA) have decades of experience with the sports betting industry. We represented sports betting operators under the strict confines of PASPA and have helped operators grow their businesses throughout the U.S. following the repeal of PASPA. We are intimately familiar with the multi-jurisdictional regulatory nuances facing sports betting operators as well as potential hurdles associated with the federal Wire Act.

In addition to supporting sports book operators, we guide sports teams and leagues, software providers, advertisers, marketing affiliates, and payment processors through the overlay of state and federal sports betting regulation. Whether looking to deploy new sports betting software or serve as a marketing affiliate, we are able to guide our clients step by step through the applicable registration or licensing process.

Internet Casinos and Poker

We help established and aspiring members of the internet gaming industry navigate regulatory pitfalls to successfully enter and compete in the online gaming industry both in Nevada and beyond. Our clients include casino owners/operators, manufacturers/distributors of gaming software, marketing affiliates, and other gaming service providers.

Our gaming lawyers played a significant role in legalizing internet poker in the state of Nevada. Representing the interests of several gaming clients, we advocated on their behalf before the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Nevada Gaming Commission submitting comprehensive written comments and suggested edits to the proposed internet poker regulations. Now that internet poker is legal in Nevada for certain businesses, our gaming lawyers continue to advocate for favorable modifications to the existing regulations. In addition, we maintain open communication with gaming regulators and industry stakeholders to advocate for the expansion of internet gaming.

We use this experience and knowledge gained in Nevada to also work with our clients and gaming regulators to influence how Internet gaming regulations are drafted and adopted across the globe. We meet with gaming regulators from states across the U.S. and countries around the world to discuss the regulation of internet gaming and cutting-edge technological developments.