Our Gaming practice is a national leader in the financing, development and operation of gaming, resort, hotel, entertainment and other projects and dates back more than a quarter of a century. Based in Los Angeles, our attorneys have represented issuers, investment banks, developers and owners in over $10 billion of non-Indian gaming debt and equity financings and numerous hotel, retail and development projects, including:
- Mirage Resorts Incorporated. Representation of the corporation and its subsidiaries in numerous public offerings and private placements of high-yield debt and common stock, exchange offers, bank credit facilities and other financing-related transactions, including financings relating to the development and expansion of the Bellagio, Golden Nugget-Las Vegas, Golden Nugget-Atlantic City, Mirage Resort and Treasure Island Resort.
- Hotel/Casino Developer/Operator. $950,000,000 hotel/casino project in Las Vegas.
- Casino Company. Joint ventures for development of a Detroit casino and a Louisiana riverboat.
- Mandalay Bay Resorts (formerly Circus Circus). Casino restaurant and retail leases, including trademark licensing and joint ventures.
- Loews Hotels. $570,000,000 joint venture with Universal Studios and the Rank Organization to develop and operate three themed resort hotels and related $342,000,000 credit facility.
- Hilton International. $27,000,000 international development of co-branded, all-inclusive Caribbean resorts.
- Barclays Bank PLC. $65,000,000 loan participation financing the Ritz Carlton Jupiter Resort and Club in Florida.
Historically our gaming industry clients were concentrated in Nevada and New Jersey, the first U.S. jurisdictions to permit casino gaming. As gaming activities were proposed or legalized in additional jurisdictions we were at the forefront of counseling clients on gaming opportunities in those domestic and foreign jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Australia, Mexico and Venezuela. We handled the first high yield deals in the gaming industry in the 1970’s for casino magnate Steve Wynn, and our work included financing transactions related to the development, and later the expansion, of the Bellagio, the Mirage, Treasure Island and the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, as well as the Atlantic City Golden Nugget. We have also handled a variety of corporate finance transactions for gaming company clients such as Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Ameristar Casinos, which operates both land and riverboat casinos in Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi and Nevada, Fitzgerald’s hotels and casinos, Becker Gaming, Mikohn Gaming and Casino America.
In conjuction with our Gaming practice, our Native American practice has represented Indian nations and enterprises, financial institutions and others in some of the largest and most complex transactions in Indian Country, including:
- Chumash Casino and Resort Enterprise. $150,000,000 Rule 144A issuance of high yield notes for the Santa Ynez Band of Mission Indians, the first such transaction by a California Indian tribe.
- River Rock Entertainment Authority. $200,000,000 Rule 144A issuance of high yield notes by an instrumentality of the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians.
- Oneida Indian Nation of New York. $310,000,000 combined high yield, tax-exempt and secured bank loan facility to finance a major expansion of Turning Stone Casino Resort.
- Native American Casino. $16,000,000 purchase of video gaming terminals and related licensed intellectual property.
- Oneida Indian Nation of New York. $20,000,000 and $25,500,000 issuances of Tax Exempt Variable Rate Demand Bonds to finance eligible resort expansion projects.
- Upstream Point Molate. $500 million project to convert a San Francisco Bay naval base into an urban Indian gaming facility and resort complex in partnership with Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. and the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians.
- Real Estate Developer. Development of a planned $700,000,000 phased gaming and entertainment destination in an environmentally sensitive area, in partnership with an Indian nation.
- Real Estate Investor. Investigation of Native American casino and resort opportunities and obstacles in Northern California.
- Investment and Commercial Banks. Representation of lenders and placement agents in secured loans, private placements, planned high yield and tax exempt issuances and other pending matters with respect to Indian nations in Arizona, California, New Mexico, New York and Oklahoma.
Our attorneys frequently speak at industry conferences and trade shows concerning gaming development, operations, finance and other related topics and have published numerous articles on Indian gaming and other legal matters.
In addition to finance work for gaming companies and investment banks, we also handle business and corporate matters for gaming companies, such as joint ventures, licensing and other intellectual property matters, real estate development and leasing and mergers and acquisitions.
We believe our firm's long history, experience and expertise in representing corporate clients, combined with our expertise in finance matters, makes us the natural place to turn when gaming companies or financial institutions are undertaking sophisticated transactions in the gaming industry.
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