Gaming and Sports Gaming and Sports

Cross-disciplinary expertise

As gaming, sports betting, digital entertainment and emerging technologies converge, participants face increasingly complex legal and regulatory challenges. Organizations operating in these sectors require integrated advice.

Our team provides advice related to mergers and acquisitions; private equity and investment; privacy and data protection; gaming and sports regulatory licensing, compliance and market entry; anti-money laundering, KYC and responsible gambling; advertising, marketing and affiliate arrangements; government relations and public policy; lending, financing and financial services; real estate, construction and development; commercial, technology and intellectual property agreements; employment and labour; Indigenous relations and First Nations gaming; charitable gaming; and investigations, disputes and litigation.

Gaming

We advise across the full regulated landscape, including online sports betting and wagering (iGaming) and land-based casino gaming, together with the public-sector initiatives that create new markets.

Navigating complex market entries and compliance matters across Canada, Osler also advises on the transactions that drive the industry — from operator launches in new markets and supplier registrations to mergers, acquisitions and private-equity investment.

Sports

Our sports work covers the commercial and regulatory matters that define modern sport, including franchise, league and governing-body matters; sports-related licensing and commercial agreements; and the data and media rights that connect leagues, data providers and sportsbooks.

We structure the high-stakes partnerships and content agreements that fuel industry growth, and are proud to support Canadian sport through our pro bono work, including with emerging professional and women’s soccer organizations.

Who we represent

Osler advises participants in all areas of the industry, including

• sports franchises, leagues and governing bodies
• gaming and sports-betting operators (B2C), both land-based and online
• gaming technology and equipment suppliers (B2B)
• financial institutions and lenders
• private equity and institutional investors
• First Nations and Indigenous gaming operators
• governments, regulators and provincial gaming authorities

Why Osler

Gaming and sports businesses operate in one of Canada’s most regulated and fastest-changing markets, where the right legal partner must understand the whole landscape, not just the matter in front of them. Osler brings a distinctive combination of strengths to that work:

• Anticipatory regulatory insight: We keep our clients ahead of the curve, allowing them to anticipate where regulation is heading rather than react to it.
• Seamless interdisciplinary execution: We’re able to bring our firm’s full platform to bear, connecting gaming experts with top-tier practitioners across licensing, financing, privacy, advertising, payment processing, AML tax, technology and disputes.
• Integrated transactional and regulatory strategies: We have a deep understanding of both the commercial and the regulatory realities that shape transactions.