Susan Breen is a Partner in the firm's top ranked Betting & Gaming Group in the Innovation Department. Susan's practice spans both corporate and M&A, as well as regulatory and commercial advice with over 20 years' experience acting for gambling industry clients. A particular strength of Susan's practice is her ability to blend her corporate knowledge with regulatory, infrastructure, and compliance advice to many of the industry's leading operators, service providers and business owners both in the UK and internationally. Much of Susan's work is international with a particular focus on helping clients buy or build businesses in an environment that has become increasingly complex from a legal, regulatory and tax perspective. She has been involved in many of the sector's high profile and innovative transactions over the last two decades. Clients include significant operators, regulators, governments, affiliate marketing groups, games developers and service providers. Susan has been a senior trusted adviser for many years to certain high profile clients and governments in other jurisdictions. She has extensive experience of advising operators and their key shareholders on the risk management and issues facing operators in regulated or yet to be regulated markets. In addition to advising established businesses, Susan has also advised new entrants to the online gambling market in the UK, Africa and the US. Susan is regarded as a pre-eminent lawyer in the betting and gaming sector by Legal 500, Chambers UK and Chambers Global, particularly for "servicing clients on complex, cutting-edge transactions, providing the regulatory overlay which makes her skillset so unique in this sector". Clients say that her "industry knowledge and understanding is unparalleled", "she cuts to the crux of the issues and gets on with it" and that she "really goes the extra mile for her clients".
Gaming and betting
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Jason is a partner and co-head of the Betting and Gaming group. He has been a leading adviser to the remote gambling industry worldwide for nearly twenty years and advises some of the largest gambling businesses on their commercial and regulatory affairs as well as media providers and financial institutions. Jason has a particular expertise in electronic betting and gaming, as well as all types of lotteries, competitions and promotions. He represents both the platforms and operators providing electronic gambling and also the brand and media owners who use remote gambling to monetise existing audiences. He advises upon the regulation and marketing of betting and gaming as well as the associated issues of distribution and sponsorship. Jason is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and sits on the Editorial Board of the World Online Gambling Law Report.
Steve is a partner and the co-head of the Betting & Gaming Practice. Steve is a commercial, regulatory and technology lawyer. He concentrates on advising clients on all operational and regulatory aspects of their businesses, with a particular expertise in the infrastructure of on-line gambling and gaming industries. Steve acts for operators and suppliers alike by drafting, negotiating and advising on matters such as intellectual property, software licensing and development, white-label supply agreements and affiliate arrangements and advises on the regulatory aspects of corporate transactions and the corresponding issues affecting investors, lenders and intermediaries. Clients include operators, software suppliers, financial services providers, investors and, generally, stakeholders in the online gambling industry.
David is a partner and a member of our Corporate and Betting and Gaming groups. He advises clients on a full range of corporate and commercial matters, principally across the gambling and technology sectors, as well as providing general strategic advice. In terms of his corporate practice, David has a wealth of experience in advising companies across all aspects of their legal requirements, including private and public M&A transactions, joint ventures, fundraisings and re-organisations. Prior to joining Wiggin, David was General Counsel at a leading gambling software supplier.
Nick is a Partner in the Innovation Department and Head of the Firm's top ranked Betting and Gaming Group. With over 20 years' experience advising companies from all parts of the gambling and games industries, Nick's practice addresses commercial and regulatory matters, including regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings, licensing, AML and regulatory compliance, commercial contracts, and corporate/M&A. Nick is active in rapidly evolving areas such as skill gaming, esports, social gaming and gamification generally, where the regulated sector is converging with digital entertainment. Nick is also the co-lead of the firm's esports and Digital Entertainment group. Nick's clients include multinational gambling operators; game publishers; software developers; gaming machine and equipment manufacturers; investors and financial institutions; as well as regulators. Nick is identified as a "gaming and betting expert" by Chambers UK and Chambers Global with clients deeming him a "tremendous lawyer". Legal 500 have recognised him as a Leading Individual in this sector and he is part of the Hall of Fame.
Carl Rohsler is a Partner and Head of the Commercial, IP and Technology (CIPT) team at Memery Crystal. Carl specialises in intellectual property (IP) work and is well-known for his expertise in the field of gambling law. Carl’s practice covers the full range of IP work, including patents, trade marks and designs, copyright and confidential information. Although working on both contentious and non-contentious matters, he is best known for his work as a litigator, having been involved in a number of leading IP cases in the last 25 years. He became a Solicitor Advocate (Civil) in 2001. Carl is also known as one of the UK’s leading experts on gambling law, having acted for many of the leading gambling operations in the UK and across the world. He has advised leading names such as 888.com, Caesars Interactive, Gala Coral, The Health Lottery Limited and Gaming Realms plc, as well as advising governments and regulators on gambling policy. He is the author / editor of several leading academic works in his field including: - The Statute Guide to the Gambling Act 2005 (Sweet & Maxwell 2005) - The Statute Guide to the National Lottery Act 2006 (Sweet & Maxwell 2006) - Licensing Law and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell 2008) - General editor of The Gambling Law Review 2015-2022 Carl also has considerable experience in advertising and marketing regulation, data protection, e-commerce and labelling and packaging law. He is an occasional visiting lecturer at the University of Bordeaux, France.
Consultant Hilary is a consultant and advises many of the world’s largest land-based and online gambling businesses (B2C and B2B), as well as many start-ups, investors and leading law firms. Hilary has extensive gambling legal, regulatory and licensing experience advising on legal classification, non-remote and remote operating licence applications, premises licensing, personal applications, change of corporate control applications, transaction due diligence, corporate investments and transactions, complex group restructuring and the rationalisation of group licences. She also has extensive compliance and enforcement experience advising on general compliance and reporting requirements, compliance assessments, regulatory investigations, corporate evaluations, operating and personal licence reviews, and developing associated remedial compliance programmes and action plans. Hilary is a frequent conference speaker and contributor to industry publications; she is a contributing editor to the ICLG to Gambling since 2014, and contributor to Smith and Monkcom: The Law of Gambling (Fourth Edition). She has also drafted gambling legislation (secondary and primary) for the Isle of Man and Curacao. Hilary is recognised by The Legal 500 as “probably the most predominant lawyer in the gambling and i-gaming space.” Another source adds: “She cares deeply and will fight hard for her clients.”
Rising stars
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Tom advises clients in the sports and gambling sectors on commercial contracts and has expertise in advising on gambling regulatory matters. His recent highlights include advising Betway on a number of sponsorship matters and advising SportyStuff TV (the shareholders of which are the largest UK betting operators) on various commercial matters. Tom has also spent time on secondment to LIV Golf where he supported the significant expansion of its commercial operations.
Partner Before joining Harris Hagan in September 2019 as a Senior Associate, David worked in-house at a large land-based casino operator and as General Counsel for an online operator, gaining first-hand experience of both sectors and the commercial needs of operators. Prior to moving in-house, David trained and worked at the Gambling Commission for nine years in both the enforcement and legal departments. This provided him with a unique insight into the regulatory framework in Great Britain. Specialising in all aspects of online and land-based gambling law, David advises land-based and online gambling businesses (B2C and B2B), as well as many start-ups. He advises on legal classification, non-remote and remote licence applications, personal applications, advertising requirements, terms and conditions, data protection, general compliance and reporting requirements, compliance assessments, regulatory investigations, corporate evaluations, operating and personal licence reviews, and developing associated remedial compliance programmes and action plans
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Chris is a partner in the Betting & Gaming team, concentrating on providing UK regulatory and compliance advice to various stakeholders in the online gambling and gaming industries. He specialises in all aspects of gambling law and has extensive legal, regulatory and commercial experience advising many of the world’s largest online and land-based B2C and B2B gambling businesses. He engages with stakeholders on a daily basis, whether they are operators, software suppliers, regulators, payment service providers, start-ups, investors or financial institutions. He also increasingly advises video gaming, esports, skill gaming and other related media and entertainment businesses and helps clients to navigate developments in regulation and self-regulation as their business models and practices evolve and converge with the regulated sector.
Leading individuals
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Stuart is a Partner in the Betting & Gaming Group in the Innovation Department. He specialises in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions for both public and private companies. He advises on listed company transactions, including flotations, takeovers and fundraisings. He also advises on joint ventures, private fundraisings, shareholder disputes, regulatory issues and corporate re-organisations. Stuart is a member of the Betting and Gaming group, and has extensive experience within this sector. Representative examples include advising two substantial shareholders of PartyGaming Plc on its merger with bwin Interactive Entertainment AG and advising on private equity investments and mergers and acquisitions within the gambling and technology sector. He also advises on wide range of regulatory issues within the online gambling sector. Stuart also acts for clients in a number of other sectors, including real estate, technology and renewable energy. Stuart also advises on the corporate aspects of insolvency-related transactions, including insolvent business sales, debt for equity swaps and schemes of arrangement.
Niki is a Partner in the Betting & Gaming Group within the Firm's Innovation Department. Niki is a regulatory specialist with twelve years' experience advising clients in the gambling and gaming sectors. Niki regularly advises licensees in connection with compliance assessments and regulatory enforcement action by the Gambling Commission including licence reviews. She also advises operators, software developers and platform providers in connection with regulatory and compliance matters including anti-money laundering, responsible gambling, consumer protection and marketing requirements. Niki specialises in advising clients on the gambling regulatory aspects of sales, acquisitions and investments including regulatory due diligence and the impact of regulatory matters on the transaction documentation. She also advises on a full range of corporate transactions, including sales and acquisitions, reorganisations and joint ventures, and has worked on numerous cross-border transactions. Her experience covers a wide range of sectors including betting and gaming, technology, retail and leisure. Niki has been recognised by Legal 500 as a 'Next generation partner' and is acknowledged as 'up and coming' in Chambers & Partners.
Comparative Guides
View
Comparative Guides
United Kingdom: Gambling Law
London
Contribution fromHarris HaganHarris Hagan