Duane Morris partner Gilbert L. Brooks has been recognized by Best Lawyers® as the “2024 Gaming Lawyer of the Year” in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The recognition is given to only one attorney for each practice area and city. Lawyers are selected based on high marks received during peer-review assessments conducted by Best Lawyers each year.
Christopher Soriano Speaking at Seton Hall Law School’s Gambling Law Symposium
Duane Morris’ Christopher Soriano will be presenting at a gambling law symposium hosted by the Seton Hall Law School’s Continuing Legal Education at Seton Hall University on March 1, 2018 at 3:30 p.m.
The symposium will discuss New Jersey’s gambling laws while focusing on the following topics:
- The New Jersey Constitution, Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Governing Gambling
- The Definition of Gambling Under New Jersey Law: The Chance Versus Skill Debate Involving Fantasy Platforms and Poker
- The Impact Of Technological Advances Upon Laws Governing The Placement of Wagers On Horse races
- Overview Of Supreme Court’s Sports Betting Case and
- On-Line Casino and Other Forms of Gambling Under Federal and New Jersey Law
For more information and to register, please visit the event website.
Duane Morris Partner Christopher Soriano Quoted in Law360
Duane Morris partner Christopher Soriano in the firm’s Cherry Hill office was quoted in a February 18, 2016 Law360 article (“3rd Circ. Puts Gambling Ban Constitutionality Back On Table“) detailing the 12-judge Third Circuit panel hearing discussing New Jersey’s efforts to legalize sports betting. This is the third time the appeals court has looked at the issue. Mr. Soriano discussed three possible outcomes: 1) the court could hold that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is constitutional and N.J.’s partial repeal violates it, resulting in no sports betting; 2) the court could find PASPA constitutional but that the state has complied with the act in its partial repeal, resulting in unregulated sports betting in N.J. casinos and racetracks; or 3) the court could determine that PASPA is unconstitutional and therefore regulated sports betting would be allowed in the state.
Mr. Soriano’s blog post on the hearing can also be found here.
New Jersey Assembly Offers its Version of North Jersey Casino Expansion
Just days following a proposed amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution proposed in the State Senate and as detailed here , the New Jersey Assembly offered its own proposed Amendment to the Constitution which would also authorize up to two additional casinos in North Jersey.
Both Amendments propose no more the two casinos, each located in different counties and outside a 75 mile radius of Atlantic City. The 75 mile radius restriction eliminates Monmouth Park Racetrack as a possible site for casino expansion.
The primary differences are as follows;
- Applicant eligibility: The Assembly version of the proposed amendment allows one of the two licenses to be awarded to an applicant with no current ownership or ties to an existing Atlantic City casino. The Senate version of the amendment limits eligibility to (1) a currently licensed Atlantic City casino operating as of December 11, 2015; or (2) any person licensed as a principal owner (yet undefined) of a holder of a New Jersey casino license that was operating a casino which was conducting gambling on December 11, 2015 if that principal owner also holds a valid license to own and operate a casino in another jurisdiction with licensing standards similar to those in New Jersey. The Assembly version only applies the Senate version’s proposed eligibility requirements to the “initial license.” The current Atlantic City casino tie-in eligibility requirement presumably does not apply to the second license awarded.
- Tax Allocation to Atlantic City. The Assembly version of the proposed Constitutional Amendment allocates 35% of state tax revenuers from the two new casinos for purposes if the recovery, stabilization or improvement of Atlantic City. The Senate version allocate 49% of such tax revenue for the recovery, stabilization or improvement of Atlantic City.
The Senate and Assembly must agree on an identical version of the proposed Amendment which would have to be approved with 3/5 votes by both houses of the NJ Legislature or majority votes, twice over two years. The votes have to be completed at least 90 days before going on the ballot of a state-wide referendum to amend the NJ State Constitution.
New Jersey Legislature Takes First Step To Authorize North Jersey Casinos
A Proposed Amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution will authorize two additional casinos in the State. The details of the Proposed Amendment are as follows:
- No more than 2 casinos, each one to be located in different counties in State
- New casinos must be located outside a 75 mile radius from Atlantic City.
- Eligibility for the license is limited to:
- (1) a currently licensed Atlantic City casino operating as of December 11, 2015; or
- or (2 ) any person licensed as a principal owner (yet undefined) of a holder of a New Jersey casino license that was operating a casino which was conducting gambling on December 11, 2015 if that principal owner also holds a valid license to own and operate a casino in another jurisdiction with licensing standards similar to those in New Jersey
- Tax rate to be determined in subsequent legislation. 49% of such tax revenue for 15 years is dedicated for recovery , stabilization or improvement of Atlantic City. 2% of tax revenue dedicated to thoroughbred and standardbred horsemen.
- The Resolution has to be approved with 3/5 votes by both houses of the NJ Legislature or majority votes twice over two years. The votes have to be completed at least 90 days before going on the ballot of a state-wide referendum to amend the NJ State Constitution.
A copy of the proposed amendment can be read here: SCR 185.
Duane Morris Receives Corporate LiveWire’s 2016 Excellence in Gaming New Jersey Law Firm Award
Duane Morris LLP has received the 2016 Corporate LiveWire Excellence in Gaming Law Firm Award for New Jersey. The gaming awards look at the gaming sector as a whole and cover casinos, online and mobile gaming, as well as championing firms involved in
gaming law and regulatory compliance.
“We’re honored to receive this award,” said Hersh Kozlov, head of the firm’s Gaming Law Practice Group and managing partner of the Cherry Hill office. “We strive to provide our gaming industry clients with top-notch service and it’s gratifying to be recognized for the work we do.”
The Corporate LiveWire Awards represent the pinnacle of business achievement, recognizing the best in their respective fields. The awards cover the most important sectors of business, from finance advisories and funding providers to law firms and specialist advisory companies that deal with mergers and acquisitions.
For the full story, please see the press release on the Duane Morris website.
Duane Morris Attorney Adam Berger Writes About the P.A. Gaming Industry
Associate Adam Berger in the Cherry Hill office wrote an article for the Philadelphia Business Journal titled “P.A. Gaming Industry at a Crossroads: Lessons from Atlantic City.”
As the song goes, Atlantic City didn’t know what it had until it was gone. In 2006, the city’s casinos brought in more than $5.2 billion in gaming revenue. In 2014, that number was down almost 50 percent, to $2.7 billion, and expected to fall even further in 2015, the first full year of operations following the closures of four casinos – Atlantic Club, Revel, Showboat and Trump Plaza.
Pennsylvania casinos, on the other hand, experienced their highest total gaming revenue of $3.15 billion in 2012. Gaming revenues declined slightly in the Keystone State during each of the next two years, down to just over $3 billion in 2014, but despite the recent declines, Pennsylvania remains the second largest gaming market in the nation, next to Nevada. It is from this point of strength that Pennsylvania needs to recognize what it’s got and not repeat the mistakes of its neighbor to the east.
So how did New Jersey allow its casino market to fall so far? Clearly the loss of New Jersey’s East Coast monopoly on gaming — as a result of the advent of casino gaming in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania — did not help. But this increased competition did not seal Atlantic City’s fate; rather, its fate was sealed during the preceding decades when Atlantic City casino operators failed to improve their properties and make Atlantic City a true and viable destination. Instead of making necessary capital expenditures and adding resort amenities, casino owners upstreamed profits while their properties slowly became outdated. The result was a city full of mostly unexciting casinos that offered little more than the slots-in-box style options found in neighboring states.
To read the full article, please visit the Philadelphia Business Journal website.
Duane Morris’ Eric Frank Featured in Class of 40 Under 40
Duane Morris gaming attorney Eric Frank of the firm’s Cherry Hill office was feautured in Global Gaming Business Magazine under the Class of 40 under 40 for 2015 as number 37.
The “40 under 40” list was made by the Global Gaming Business Editorial Advisory Board and the Innovation Group and honors top leaders in the Gaming industry.
NJ Regulators Seeking Skill-Based Gaming – Possible iGaming Implications
New Jersey’s Gaming regulators garnered attention this week by issuing a press release that they are accepting applications for skill-based games for play in New Jersey’s casinos. This was a friendly reminder to the industry of two things: (1) that the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s current regulations already allow for skill-based elements in slot machines; and (2) the Division’s “New Jersey first” policy, whereby gaming products that are submitted for testing to New Jersey prior to, or simultaneously with, any other jurisdiction or testing lab, if approved, can be on the casino floor within 14 days.
Continue reading “NJ Regulators Seeking Skill-Based Gaming – Possible iGaming Implications”
Duane Morris’ Eric Frank Receives Multiple Recognitions
Duane Morris gaming attorney Eric Frank of the firm’s Cherry Hill office was featured in South Jersey Biz Magazine as one of the regions “Best Attorneys in Business” for Gaming.
The New Jersey Law Journal also selected Eric as a “New Leader of the Bar” for 2014. Eric and others selected will be honored at a dinner hosted by the New Jersey Law Journal in September.