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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA multinational law firm’s aggressive push into the Indiana gambling sector is signaling growing competition in one of the state’s most active lobbying arenas.
Greenberg Traurig LLP, a firm with global coverage in multiple disciplines, has made some prominent hires in its Chicago office this past year, with a particular focus on Indiana casino gambling and lobbying.
Last month, the firm hired Dennis Mullen, the former executive director and general counsel of the Indiana Gaming Commission, to be of counsel in its Chicago offices.
And in April, the firm hired Ali Bartlett, who was an attorney for Bose McKinney & Evans’ gaming group and previously served on the legislative staff at the Indiana General Assembly.
“Greenberg Traurig has a global gaming practice that has served clients in this space for many years prior to Ali Bartlett and I recently joining the firm,” Mullen said in an email. “Our addition demonstrates Greenberg Traurig’s commitment to providing clients doing business in Indiana, across the U.S. and globally with the guidance and support necessary to succeed in gaming’s ever-changing landscape.”
Andrew Miller, managing principal at Bose Public Affairs Group (the lobbying arm of Bose McKinney & Evans), told The Indiana Lawyer it’s not the first time a major international law firm has moved into the Indiana gambling sector.
“We’ve had some really big firms buy up Indiana law firms and come to market and compete, and we’ve had firms like Greenberg come and hire a couple of people and try to compete,” said Miller, whose lobbying practice is one of the largest in the state. “The industry is always evolving…but it’s something we’ve seen before.”
Miller emphasized the need for companies to learn from the ever-changing gambling industry by evolving their practices.
“If you’re not growing and thinking about the future and thinking how to innovate as an organization, you’re going to fall behind,” he said.
Matt Bell, president and CEO of the Casino Association of Indiana, welcomes Greenberg Traurig’s entry into the state, saying their impact can only be positive.
“We’re really excited to work with them and the companies they represent for the benefit of gaming across the state,” Bell said.
Greenberg Taurig is now registered to lobby in Indiana on behalf of gambling giants Bally’s Corporation and Full House Resorts Inc. But it has other Indiana lobbying clients, including Goodwill of Michiana, the Indiana Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and Five Star Life Inc.
Bell said he believes the firm could have an impact on the regulatory side of the gambling industry.
“The value that someone like Greenberg can bring is that they work in so many jurisdictions. They’ve seen regulations that work well,” he said. “They understand how you can strike an appropriate balance between regulation and allowing the market to function.”
A firm as large as Greenberg, with nearly 3,000 attorneys in 49 locations across 15 countries, has the deep relationships needed to influence the regulation of gambling, Bell added.
That ability to navigate jurisdictions is something that seems to have attracted Mullen to Greenberg Traurig.
“At Greenberg Traurig, I saw a team of the highest caliber of attorneys who have demonstrated the ability to handle gaming’s most sophisticated matters and transactions, regardless of jurisdiction,” Mullen said.
Indiana’s gaming history
The state’s gambling industry has evolved substantially over the past few decades.
In 1989, Indiana legalized the Lottery Act, opening the doors for future gambling opportunities.
But it wasn’t until a few years later, on July 1, 1993, that the Indiana Riverboat Gaming Act was passed, allowing riverboat casino gambling in the state. According to Indiana University, the legislation allowed for 10 riverboat casinos, the first of which opened its doors in 1995.
The next step for the state was taken in 2015 when House Enrolled Act 1540 was passed, permitting the state’s riverboat casinos to relocate inland, giving way to more recent practices, like mobile
sports betting.
“As an industry, we have to be looking to the future,” Bell said. “And I think historically, policymakers in Indiana have done a good job of ensuring that the legislation has allowed companies to modernize and offer the kind of amenities that their customers really enjoy.”
According to the American Gaming Association, Indiana’s commercial casinos and racinos operate in a midwestern market that is becoming increasingly competitive as a result of recent expansion by Illinois and the rollout of legal sports betting in the area.
The Indiana Gaming Commission reported that statewide casino revenues fell by 3% from fiscal years 2023 to 2024, from $2.36 billion to $2.28 billion. Similarly, casino wagering taxes decreased by 5% in those same fiscal years.
“When gaming began in Indiana, we were a virtual oasis in the Midwest with no competition from surrounding states,” Bell said. “Obviously, that environment is dramatically different today…the competition is really intense.”
Although the competition seems to be affecting the in-state casino earnings, Indiana’s online sports betting market has proved positive.
The American Gaming Association reported that Indiana’s sports betting revenue of $382.8 million in 2023 was up 10% from the previous year—a large majority being accounted for by online betting.
“This is a business that is incredibly important to the state,” Bell continued. “Gaming revenue is the fourth largest generator of tax revenue in the state, and so there are a lot of people that depend on a thriving industry.”
Looking to the future
Mullen expressed positive hopes for the future of gambling in Indiana, pointing to the current state administration’s experienced leadership.
“I am excited to see how the state continues to foster innovation in the industry that will bolster state revenues while also providing a safer gaming environment for Hoosiers and visitors to our state,” Mullen said.
But for competitors still possibly hesitant about what the emergence of Greenberg Traurig could mean in the future, Bell encourages advocates of the gambling sector to deepen their knowledge of the subject material and nurture relationships they’ve built over many years.
“I think that those are as important and as irreplaceable as the size of any firm or the national scope of any firm,” he said.•
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