Row of slot machines in a casino

Gaming

  • Overview
  • Who To Contact
  • Recent Developments

The Aird & Berlis Gaming Group stands at the intersection of gaming, technology, entertainment and regulation. We provide strategic and sophisticated legal advice to operators, suppliers, investors, financing parties, platform and venue providers, regulators and other industry participants across Canada and internationally, helping them lead in a fast-evolving industry.

We offer regulatory, transactional and policy guidance tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities facing public and private sector participants in this space. Our team has been closely involved in shaping key industry milestones, including advising on the development of new iGaming regulatory regimes, and continues to advise clients operating in both the bricks-and-mortar and online sectors in M&A, licensing, government procurement and compliance matters.

Our leadership includes one of Canada’s rare Chambers Band 1 gaming lawyers, whose deep expertise in both regulatory and corporate law is complemented by policy and academic insight. With broad experience advising regulators and global clients on complex multi-jurisdictional gaming matters, our team provides strategic, industry-leading counsel in this specialized field.

We support clients across the broader gaming ecosystem, including those involved in casinos, lottery, charitable gaming, fantasy sports, esports, sweepstakes, prediction markets and novel digital paradigms. Our multidisciplinary team works across corporate structuring, commercial relationships, tax, intellectual property, advertising, real estate, employment and litigation. We regularly assist game publishers, venue and site operators, services suppliers, investors, lenders, leagues and franchises, as well as private equity firms and regulators seeking to modernize systems to manage risk, maintain compliance, protect property and rights, improve operations and scale responsibly.

Many of our lawyers are active participants in both gaming and other related areas of the industry, including the broader media and entertainment communities that include videogaming/esports, giving us an inside perspective on emerging technologies and paradigm shifts. We’re known for helping clients modernize offerings, adapt to new rules and deliver innovative, compliant gaming experiences that align with evolving consumer expectations and regulatory priorities.

The Aird & Berlis Gaming Group offers a rare combination of regulatory insight, industry experience and practical legal advice. Whether you’re launching a new platform, acquiring a franchise or modernizing your operations, we’ll help you stay ahead of the game.

Our core services include:

Mergers and Acquisitions: Driving transformational acquisitions and divestitures of businesses, leading transactions directly or serving in a regional or supporting role as part of a global advisory team on cross-border matters.

Financing: Supporting banks, underwriters, private lenders and borrowers in structuring and closing financings that both enable gaming businesses to achieve their goals and address the industry’s unique risks.

Regulatory Compliance & Licensing: Supporting owners, operators and suppliers with licensing, standards compliance, guidance interpretation, regulatory order responses and the establishment of protective policies (including responsible gambling (RG), self-exclusion, terms of play/use, privacy and data handling, etc.). We have particular expertise working on new business approaches or products and creating paths to regulatory acceptance for them.

Government Relations & Policy: Guiding clients through public procurement processes, legislative reform and regulatory engagement. Our strong ties to regulators and policymakers enable strategic advice on compliance, licensing and enforcement.

Capital Markets: Supporting IPOs, reverse takeovers and qualifying transactions, including TSX, TSXV and CSE listings. We also support with securities and cross-border financings.

Technology & IP: Advising on software licensing, content distribution, data governance and cybersecurity. We help protect and commercialize gaming-related IP and tech assets. We also assist with emerging technologies, including AI-driven platforms, blockchain-based games and metaverse applications.

Marketing & Sponsorship: Drafting and reviewing advertising, influencer and sponsorship agreements with a focus on gaming regulations and consumer protection.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution: Representing clients in investigations, enforcement actions, licensing disputes, commercial litigation and class actions.

Representative Matters

Aird & Berlis has significant experience advising gaming sector businesses. Recent representative matters our lawyers have acted on or are presently engaged in include:

  • Acting for MIXI Inc. in relation to its takeover bid of the PointsBet group.
  • Advising Sports Entertainment Acquisition Corp. in respect of its merger with Super Group to create a global online gaming company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
  • Advising Apollo Global Management, Inc. and its funds group in connection with the acquisition of Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.
  • Advising numerous international online gaming companies in connection with their entry into the expanded Ontario/Canadian regulated market.
  • Acting as principal external legal and policy adviser to the Province of British Columbia in relation to online gaming matters.
  • Advising Francaise des Jeux, the operator of France’s national lottery, and its subsidiaries on Canadian gaming matters.
  • Advising the Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario and its members in its negotiations with the OLG over new terms of agreement with that entity, as well as all key template agreements with the major suppliers of hardware and software to the membership.
  • Providing advice to counsel of a global leading fantasy sports operator on Canadian legal matters.

Contacts

Group Members

Recent Developments

Related Areas of Expertise