Gaming

Hahn Loeser & Parks has an active and growing gaming law practice. The Chair of our gaming practice, Stanley R. Gorom III, holds personal gaming licenses in six separate states throughout the country (Nevada, Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Louisiana).

The Business Law Group has been involved in all aspects of gaming operations from structuring acquisition vehicles, site acquisition and application for gaming approval, to construction and build-out, ongoing renewal procedures, compliance reviews and operational issues unique to the gaming industry. In addition, this Group participates in efforts to lobby gaming regulators to make rule changes.  Our experience includes:

• The build-out, development and operation of one of the nation’s premier thoroughbred racing facilities in the state of Virginia;
• The acquisition, licensing and development of 22 video draw poker truck stops in the state of Louisiana;
• Acquisition and licensure of casinos in the state of Nevada;
• Regulatory applications in the states of Colorado, Pennsylvania and West Virginia;
• Company set-up and licensure of a video draw poker device ownership in the state of Louisiana;
• Commencement, licensure and compliance work related to charitable gaming operations in the states of Ohio and Louisiana;
• Preparation of lobbying efforts in various states related to the creation and/or modification of gaming-related rules and regulations;
• The Chair of our group has served on the Board of Directors of MTR Gaming Group, Inc., a publicly-traded gaming company with casino and pari-mutuel wagering facilities in the states of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The Group has developed strong and extensive relationships with the regulators in each of the above-noted  jurisdictions. Hahn Loeser has considerable experience in the initial application of gaming sites for licenses, as well as ensuring that renewals are properly and timely filed once operations have commenced and that proper disclosures are made to regulators to ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations. The Group has been the primary contact for our clients during a number of periodic compliance reviews by those regulators.

In addition, the team has aided clients in their ongoing efforts once operations were underway to run the most efficient operations possible, including negotiating industry specific supply agreements, preventing issues of employee theft and ensuring patron safety. Hahn Loeser has served as onsite, in-house counsel at a publicly-traded gaming company, while the company looked for a permanent general counsel.