We advise bookmakers, casino companies, bingo club operators, internet betting companies, lottery operators, racecourse owners, regulators, private equity investors and investment banks.

The opportunities and challenges we have helped our clients with in recent years include:

  • Acquisitions and investments in anticipation of deregulation in the UK and the further development of internet gaming;
  • Establishing the infrastructure, software, patent rights and systems necessary to facilitate internet gaming;
  • Lobbying for regulatory change at a national and EU level;
  • Making the most of the opportunities and helping to deal with the threats arising from the deregulation of gaming in the UK and a number of other jurisdictions;
  • Real estate, financing and planning issues arising from significant new developments; and
  • Responding to regulatory enquiries and litigation arising in the more heavily regulated countries from internet gaming.

Our experience includes advising:

  • Arena Leisure on its attheraces joint venture with BSkyB and the sale of picture rights to UK horse racing for showing in licensed betting offices;
  • Betfair on the acquisition of PokerChamps and of Portway Press Limited (trading as 'Timeform');
  • Globet, Ladbrokes, William Hill, Sportingbet, Coral Eurobet, Bwin, Interwetten, Victor Chandler, bet365, Expekt, Parbet and Unibet on litigation brought by the Spanish Professional Football League (La Liga) in the Spanish Commercial Court;
  • PartyGaming on its acquisition of Gamebookers;
  • Rank on its acquisitions of Blue Square and Casino de Mallorca and on the disposal of its Deluxe business and of its Hard Rock Cafes business;
  • Sportech, the operator of Littlewoods Football Pools, on its acquisition of the Vernons Football Pools business from Ladbrokes; and
  • William Hill on its IPO, refinancing and listing on the London Stock Exchange; on its dealings with: the BHB; the regulators of internet gaming in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, including litigation and a reference to the European Court of Justice, and on software, television and internet infrastructure agreements.

News

UK retail sector in race to refinance $11bn of bank and bond debt by the end of the year and $72bn by 2018 View

G20 anti-bribery inconsistencies raise challenges and costs for international businesses View

Briefings

2008 Beijing Olympics or bust  View

New German gambling regime  View

Contact