The widespread legalization and popularity of in-person and online gaming and its integration with traditional sports—at the professional and collegiate levels—has spurred technological innovation and new businesses. The economic growth at the intersection of these industries has brought with it a patchwork of state and federal regulations accompanied by a plethora of new and complex legal issues.
Duane Morris’ Gaming and Sports Industry Group lawyers pull together all the firm’s capabilities from offices across the United States and around the world to meet clients’ business goals and offer strategies for any kind of legal matter. Our lawyers have experience guiding companies through regulatory licensing, litigation, labor and employment issues, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, intellectual property, bankruptcy proceedings and real estate matters, among numerous other legal issues unique to the gaming and sports industry.
Range of Services
- Mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital
- Stadium and infrastructure finance
- Commercial and antitrust litigation
- Intellectual property, media and branding
- Employment, name, image and likeness (NIL), and athlete representation compliance
- Gaming and sports betting regulation
- Gaming and sports advertising regulations
- Investigations, audits, integrity matters, enforcement and disputes
- Negotiating key partnerships between sports, media and gaming organizations
Gaming Law Group
Traditional gaming institutions, media companies and industry disruptors are tapping into new technology to remain competitive in a quickly growing market. Duane Morris attorneys provide gaming companies and industry participants with a full deck of services to match the pace of innovation, while working within the confines of ever-changing local, state and federal regulations surrounding the growth of the industry.
Duane Morris Gaming attorneys offer their decades of experience in the industry to provide the most up-to-date guidance to casino and pari‑mutuel facility owners and operators, online and mobile gaming companies, gaming equipment and software manufacturers, esports entities, key employees, financial institutions and vendors providing goods and services throughout the gaming industry.
Sports Law Group
The Duane Morris Sports Law Group is a dynamic and experienced team dedicated to providing comprehensive legal services across all levels of the sports industry, from professional leagues, teams and athletes to early- and growth-stage companies, sports-focused venture capital and private equity firms. As one of the top law firms in this industry, we understand the unique challenges and complexities facing athletes, teams, coaches, leagues, companies and private capital in this fast-paced and highly regulated sector.
Our attorneys bring clients deep knowledge and broad experience in all aspects of sports law, including entity structuring, stadium financing, litigation, contract negotiations, intellectual property, labor and employment issues, sponsorship agreements, broadcasting and media rights, and compliance issues.
Businesses We Serve
Our clients sit at the intersection of sports, consumer gaming and media. As these industries evolve and become more intertwined, our attorneys stay on the cutting edge of these innovative spaces and will expand the businesses we represent as gaming and sports continue to evolve. The clients we currently serve include, but are not limited to:
- Sportsbooks, sports betting operators and gaming technology companies
- Individual athletes, players and agencies
- Sports leagues and federations
- Players associations and governing bodies
- Colleges, universities and high schools
- Sports media, streaming and technology companies
- Sports-focused private equity and institutional investors
- Sporting facility developers and suppliers
- Sports technology start up and growth companies
Service Areas
Stadium and Facility Financing
We advise clients on complex financing for stadiums and arenas, including multisource bond and credit structures for major professional sports teams, as well for as casinos and gaming facilities. Our experience includes structuring, league and regulatory board approvals, construction, refinancing, and related ownership and leasing arrangements.
Intellectual Property
We protect the rights of athletes, teams, universities, casinos and other gaming organizations in their licensing arrangements regarding trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property, including technology, merchandise, broadcasting rights and digital content.
Labor and Employment
We represent teams, universities and gaming companies in labor and employment matters, including collective bargaining and executive agreements as well as in investment and fund formation for minority and majority stakes in professional leagues, teams and gaming entities.
Our lawyers aggressively promote client interests before state and federal courts and in mediation and arbitration proceedings, as well as before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the federal Wage and Hour Division and all other state and federal agencies.
Gaming and Sports Betting Regulation
Duane Morris attorneys have decades of experience interpreting gaming regulations and working with regulators to address novel issues as they arise. Our lawyers regularly attend the monthly meetings of the gaming regulators in the jurisdictions in which we practice to follow closely any trends or changes in regulatory policy that may be under consideration.
NIL and Athlete Representation Compliance
Duane Morris sports attorneys counsel on compliance with the NCAA, professional league regulations, doping controls and other sports governing bodies, as well as advising on emerging issues such as NIL regulations and athlete eligibility.
Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Duane Morris’ trial attorneys are ready to help gaming and sports clients assess the risk of pending or threatened litigation. While ready to take claims to the courtroom, our attorneys seek early resolutions to litigation that align with the reputational and business interests of our clients. We have represented gaming clients in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, arbitrations, restructuring matters and employment disputes, among other matters.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Our years of experience providing complex M&A, structuring and regulatory advice allow us to guide clients through all phases of their growth cycle. In a merger, our Gaming and Sports Industry Group attorneys will call upon lawyers from our corporate, real estate, environmental, labor and employment, intellectual property and finance groups as needed for due diligence and to review the provisions of transaction documents from different legal perspectives.
For More Information
For additional information, please contact Frank A. DiGiacomo, William M. Gantz, Robert L. Ruben, Adam Berger, AJ Rudowitz, Bryan Shapiro or any of of the group members referenced in the Attorney Listing.