
Timothy J. Lowry
PartnerChair, National Gaming Team
Tim Lowry provides legal and strategic advice to domestic and multinational clients in the gaming, entertainment, and hospitality industries, each of which draw on his deep experience in complex commercial transactions, M&A, real estate acquisitions and financing, privatization and concession agreements, and general litigation.
Tim has represented state agencies and government units, private equity and other capital groups, entertainment and media companies, energy generation companies, casino- and lottery-operating companies, and professional sports teams. Aside from his transactional practice, Tim regularly counsels his clients on such specific subject matters as gaming regulatory compliance (retail and online), sweepstakes and marketing promotions, and the many issues involved relative to the convergence between retail and digital platforms in the casino gaming and sports betting industries.
Tim has worked on a number of cross-border transactions, including projects in Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. Before joining DLA Piper, he was corporate counsel to a multinational casino operator, maintaining key licenses in a number of jurisdictions and managing legal, regulatory and compliance across such jurisdictions as the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Tim currently serves on the advisory board of Tapcentive, Inc., and is corporate secretary to SportsContentCo, LLC.
EXPERIENCE
Recent Representative Matters
Gaming Operators
- For Las Vegas Sands, represented Pat Deon, a shareholder, in connection with his successful challenge in the U.S. District Court, and before the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, to the constitutionality of Section 1513 of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, which previously imposed an absolute ban on political contributions from an inappropriately targeted class of persons affiliated with licensed gaming operations.
- For Las Vegas Sands, represented it and its operating subsidiary in their challenge before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court relative to the Supplement Assessment imposed by the recently amended Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act.
- Counselled Hard Rock International in connection with it structuring of onshore and offshore transactions and gaming management agreement in the Philippines.
- Counselled Hard Rock Atlantic City on numerous investigations and licensing issues.
- Counselled Penn National Gaming in connection with its planned expansion and gaming opportunities in Japan.
- Counselled Seven Aces (f/k/a Quantum International Income Corp.) in its anchor acquisition, tax reclassification, lottery regulatory approvals, and follow-on tuck-in acquisitions in the State of Georgia.
- Counselled Caesars Entertainment in New Jersey relative to the legislation enacting online gaming, as well as follow-on representations before Division of Gaming Enforcement and the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.
- Counselled Tropicana Entertainment relative to certain approvals before the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and multiple real estate transactions.
Sports Book Operators
- Counselled Hillside (Sports) / bet 365 on strategic development and national tax and gaming-regulatory matters, including transactions opposite Hard Rock Atlantic City and Empire Resorts.
- Counselled Hillside (Sports) / bet 365 on certain intellectual property matters, including advice on US protection of betting odds database.
- Counselled Digital Gaming Corporation with respect to international and national tax and gaming regulatory considerations relative to its proposed US Software Access & Service Agreement with SBTech.
- Counselled SB Tech (Malta) on its strategic development and national tax and gaming-regulatory matters.
- Counselled SBTech in its successful bid and contract negotiations with the Oregon Lottery relative to the Oregon Lottery Sports Wagering Platform Procurement.
- Counselled SBTech in certain matters leading up to the reverse merger with Golden Eagle and Draft Kings.
- Counselled Gamesys Ltd. on its joint-venture agreement and software licensing and platform agreement oppositive a Native American Tribe located within California.
- Counselled Gamesys Ltd. on its gaming regulatory issues in certain U.S. jurisdictions, and certain M&A matters in connection with its transaction opposite Intertain.
B2B and Other Suppliers
- Counselled Worldpay (UK) Limited in UIGEA compliance, due diligence investigations and multiple internet lottery and gaming transactions.
- Counselled Worldpay (UK) Limited with respect to analyzing anti-trust and gaming regulatory issues related to their proposed joint marketing and revenue sharing agreement with Paysafe Merchant Services Corp.
- Counselled Banc of America Merchant Services in UIGEA compliance, due diligence investigations and multiple internet lottery and gaming transactions.
- Counseled and represented numerous technology companies in structuring Internet sweepstakes, skill-based offerings, social gaming platforms and compliance with federal and state laws.
- Counselled Global Cash Access Holdings in a $1.2 billion financing, consisting of a $50 million senior secured revolving credit facility, a $500 million senior secured term loan facility and a $700 million offering of high yield bonds, including $350 million of senior secured notes and $350 million of senior unsecured notes. The proceeds of the financing were used to complete the company's acquisition of Multimedia Games Holding Company, Inc.
- Counselled Trans Union on its M&A and national strategy and transactional work attendant to the introduction of its fraud detection and KYC products into the US gaming vertical.
- Counselled Dick Clark Productions with respect to the structure of its 2020-21 Powerball New Year’s Rockin’ Eve First Powerball Millionaire of the Year promotion, and many transactions with certain state lotteries.
- Multiple software companies in online poker revenue sharing transactions with Indian tribes and horse racing operators.
Capital Groups
- Counselled 2901 ECA Associates, a Pennsylvania-based investor group, in its development of, and joint venture transaction relative to, a new Bally’s branded casino to be located proximate to Penn State University.
- Counselled Sylebra Capital Management with its minority shareholder position in Scientific Games International and its international strategy on suitability and shareholder derivative action issues.
- Counselled Eldridge Industries on multiple M&A transactions and gaming-regulatory issues.
- Counselled Clarion Capital on multiple M&A transactions and gaming-regulatory issues.
- Counselled ARES and Goldman-Sachs Lending in matters relating to acquisition of casino companies and gaming-related assets.
- Numerous confidential private equity, venture capital, and real estate capital clients in matters relating to acquisitions of casino and gambling-related assets and Internet-gambling strategies, including AREA, Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia.
- Counselled Energenic-US and DCO Energy relative to their US$80 million, US$120 million and US$200 million energy procurement contracts and energy service agreements with Bahamian, Nevada- and Atlantic City-based casino companies and follow-on project financings.
Governments
- Counselled the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Revenue, in its solicitation of, and intended commercial transaction with, a private manager for its multibillion-dollar lottery operations, leveraging the Internet and retail- optimization as key value drivers
- Counselled the State of Illinois, Department of Revenue, in a landmark, first-to-market, multibillion-dollar private management procurement transaction and online lottery transactions.
- Advised the State of New Jersey, Department of Treasury, on its procurement of, and intended commercial transactions with, a private manager.
Social Casinos
- Counselling bwin.party in relation to its white-label deal with Zynga.
- Counselling Penn National in its acquisition of a social gaming platform company.
- Counselling Playtech in relation to its licensing of social gaming products including CTXM, Slotsfarm and Raminoz.
- Advising an array of operators and suppliers including Gamesys, EA/Popcap and Aristocrat in relation to their social gaming strategies.
Entertainment and Media Companies
- Counselled Disney and ESPN relative to their proposed acquisition and due diligence of certain Daily Fantasy Sport platform operators.
- Counselled Disney on M&A advice and gaming-regulatory issues relative to its indirect equity position in Draft Kings.
- Represented Apple on certain multi-district litigation, tax, and strategic guidance.
- Counselled Playboy on many of its licensing agreements, foreign and domestic, in the gaming space, including transactions with Scientific Games International, Gamesys, and Microgaming.
- Counselled StatsPerform with multiple Master License Agreements, various customer contracts, compliance initiatives, gaming regulatory matters, and proposed licensing arrangement with SportsContentCo.
- Counselled US DataCo and SportsContentCo with its national strategy and transactional work attendant to the reselling of StatsPerform data into the US gaming vertical.
- Counselled Genius Sports with litigation, IP and real estate matters.
Professional Teams and Conferences
- Counselled three Major League Soccer clubs with their negotiations and transactions with a sports betting operator and other gaming issues in advance of the enactment of Texas Gaming Legislation.
- Counselled an NFL team regarding numerous gaming regulatory issues and its promotional activities both the United States and Mexico.
- Counselled an NHL team in its contractual negotiations, gaming regulatory matters, and transaction with the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and a casino.
- Counselled a major college sports conference in strategic advice and gaming regulatory matters relative to the expansion of gambling across multiple states.
- J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law
Editor, Seton Hall Constitutional Law Journal - B.A., Political Science major, Philosophy minor, Saint Joseph's University
Honors in History
Phi Alpha Theta
Awards
Timothy has been named a New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star.
For more information, pursuant to New Jersey Lawyer Advertising guidance, please click here.
Pro Bono
Insight Overview
Timothy has spoken at many conferences and written various publications for magazines and other media outlets. He is a frequent panelist or moderator, speaking relative iGaming issues, and lottery optimization and modernization throughout the United States and abroad.
Bylines
- "DOJ's Wire Act Opinion Is A Game Changer," Law360 (January 2019)
- "Supreme Court Preserves Tribal Sovereign Immunity," iGaming Business North America (June/July 2014)
- "US: United States Supreme Court Stops Sports Betting in NJ," JDSUPRA Business Advisor (June 2014)
- "US: Draft Legislation Aimed at Prohibiting Internet Gambling," Lexology (January 2014)
- "Can State Activity Spark Federal traction?," iGaming Business North America (January 2014)
- "US: Foreign Gamblers Now To Receive Equal Tax Treatment," JDSUPRA Business Advisor (December 2013)
- "Bordering on Criminal," iGaming Business North America (August 2012)
- "DLA Piper Sport Law Attorney Gets Boxer Back in the Ring," DLA Piper Sports Litigation Alert (November 2011)
Seminars
- Panelist, " Legalized Sports Betting in a Post-PASPA World – What You Need to Know," webinar hosted by The Knowledge Group (November 13, 2018)
- Panelist, ''The Legality of Daily Fantasy Sports,'' 5th Annual NYU Law Sports Law Colloquium, New York (March 25, 2016)
- Speaker, "Lottery Private Management: An Overview of the Concept and Legal Issues," Annual OGC University, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Governor's Office of General Counsel (September 12, 2012)
- Panelist, "Remote Gambling Regulation in the United States," DLA Piper Seminar, London, UK (January 2012)
- Panelist, "Advertising Standards and Strategies for Interactive Lottery Projects," Digital Gaming & Lottery Policy Summit, Washington, DC (December 6, 2011)
- Moderator, "Lotteries Driving the Change – Regulatory, Commercial and Marketing Considerations," Global iGaming Summit & Expo, San Francisco, CA (May 18, 2011)
Prior Experience
Before joining DLA Piper, Timothy was corporate counsel to a multinational casino operator, where he maintained casino key licenses in a number of US jurisdictions and handled a wide array of legal, regulatory and compliance matters across such jurisdictions as the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.