Work in the gambling field
Practice Areas
Gambling Regulation (UK and international)
- Legal classification of gambling products
- Licensing applications and international strategy
- Gambling Commission compliance, LCCP obligations, and enforcement risk
- Advertising and marketing - legal issues and ASA complaints
- Social responsibility policies
- AML, source-of-funds, and player-protection frameworks
- Commercial agreements for platforms, white-label operators, and content providers
- Corporate due diligence and change of control
- Tax structuring
- Disputes and litigation
- Skill-based games, prize draws and competitions.
- Social casino, prediction markets and other hybrid products .
Lottery schemes
Acting on the creation of The Health Lottery, the largest private lottery in the UK. This included the development of the initial scheme, the sale of the business to Northern and Shell, successfully navigating a judicial review claim by Camelot against the scheme and ongoing regulatory work for the Group (including a recent restructuring of the CICs).
Acting for Scottish TV plc on the development and subsequent sale of the STV Children's lottery.
Acting for Blue Squid Studios in obtaining an ELM and associated Society lottery licence permits for the development of a lottery scheme
Advising Jumbo Interactive on its responses to the UK Government White Paper and also on its acquisition of Starvale ELM Limited (read more here), and proposed acquisition of Tower Lottery Partnership
Advising on a lottery operating in Abu Dhabi airport on legal risks of operating in the sector and paying prizes given the nationality and location of some of its players.
Publications
The Statute Law Guide to the Gambling Act 2005 (Sweet & Maxwell 2005)
The Statute Law Guide to the National Lottery Act 2006 (Sweet & Maxwell 2006)
Licensing Law and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell 2008) Link to purchase here
General editor of Lexology's The Gambling Law Review 2015-2025
Founding Editor of World Online Gambling Law Report
Author of Lexis Nexis chapters on Gambling Taxation, Gambling Regulation and Gambling Licensing.
Author Mondaq Comparative Guide to Gambling
Representative mandates
Licensing work and relations with the Commission
Obtaining more than 75 gambling licences for companies as diverse as The Health Lottery, BetConstruct, SBTech, 888.com, Avantage Entertainment LLP, DS Virtual Gaming, Leap Gaming, and Blue Squid Studios
Dealing with GC formal Reviews, complaints and audits for a number of high profile operators, including revocation of licences, and litigation relating to the collapse of InTouch Gaming.
Dealing with numerous challenges to operating models (see 'Non Gambling Products').
Disputes
Acting for Gaming Realms plc in relation to all of its regulatory compliance issues and commercial contracts, including legal proceedings for infringement of copyright in gambling software (AlchemyBet v Trinitas Gaming t/a Rogue and others) Read more here.
Acting on a major arbitration arising from alleged click fraud / retargeting fraud (parties confidential)
Acting for Cantor Gaming in Cantor Gaming v Game Account Global Ltd [2008] FSR 4 (copyright, computer software). Judgment here.
Acting for Gaming Realms plc in relation to various pieces of litigation arising out of the sale of Bear Group to River iGaming 2018-2019
Acting for Gregory Elias and United Trust (Curacao) in successfully overturning a world-wide freezing order (2021) (conspiracy claims re gambling software).
Defending claim against a niche bookmaker against allegations of retension of funds by gamblers who were concealing their true identity (confidential settlement).
Acting for Nevada based gaming software provider in a dispute with UK listed gaming operator over a suite of betting software (confidential settlement).
Acting for a number of well known high roller poker players and high net worth individuals in recovering gambling debts or making complaints to gambling operators in the UK and internationally.
Commercial deals
Advising ITV plc on the development of the ITVWIN Casino with Richmond Atlantic and legality of its gaming and competition formats. Read more here and here.
Advising Silver Point Capital on the gambling aspects of the acquisition of London Clubs International from Caesars Entertainment and subsequent change of control. Read more here and here.
Acting for Buzz Bingo in a major outsourcing of operations and wallet functionality to Playtech
Acting for Caesars Interactive Entertainment in relation to their ground-breaking Nevada on-line gambling venture with 888.com (first licence granted in Nevada)
Advised on the proposed sale of Gala Leisure (largest retail bingo provider in the UK).
Advising on the outsourcing of Gala Coral’s online operations to Playtech
Acting for Caesars Interactive Entertainment on the sponsorship of the World Series of Poker in the UK, Europe and Australia (with Crown)
Acted for Avenue Capital in relation to a JV arrangement with 888.com.
Acted for 888.com on its UK business between 1995-2005, including the earliest premiership football shirt sponsorship, numerous sports sponsorship deals (snooker, darts etc), advertising regulation and IP matters.
Government and international regulation
Advising on a complaint to European Commission in relation to Polish legislation on behalf of the Association of Polish Gaming Operators.
Dealing with a claim for breach of international treaties arising out of a change in the law of the Republic of Srpska
Various representations to the Government of India on gambling policy, including being involved in the first conference on Indian Gambling policy organised by FICCI in 2012.
Assisting clients with lobbying efforts and calls for evidence in relation to the recent White Paper and issues such as society lottery limits.
Dealing with various representations to the Commission and DCMS over the definition of 'Reel Based Games" and the application of the Levy legislation to international software operators
Non-Gambling Products
Advised Million21 on skill contests (unique bid auctions)
Acted for Sorare SA in challenges brought by the Gambling Commission to its operating model
Advising a number of skill-based gaming operators on the legality of their models, social responsibility policies.
Developing prize draws and competitions for a large number of clients from large broadcasters to newspapers, and private operators in the PDC sector
Development of a social casino model for entry into the UK.
Other interesting mandates
Acted for Cantor Gaming on all regulatory matters, financial fixed odds products and commercial arrangements with betting operators.
Advising on the development of a number of financial fixed odds products, including for Cantor Index and Bank de Binary.
Creation of novel betting exchanges and novel insurance products for sports risks and for casinos
Acting for a number of the largest betting syndicates in the UK.
Advised Google in relation to the development of its policies in a number of jurisdictions for selling gambling keyword and AdWords advertising.