Esports
Overview
Competitive video gaming has grown from a niche activity into a global, multibillion-dollar esports industry. That growth has created professional teams and athletes, organized leagues, streaming platforms, television channels, and a rapidly expanding network of publishers, sponsors, venues, and media companies. It has also introduced a wide range of legal issues for businesses operating in and supporting the industry.
Dickinson Wright has advised clients in competitive video gaming since before esports became a recognized industry. Esports matters often involve multiple legal disciplines, including gaming and wagering laws, media law, intellectual property, rights of publicity, commercial promotions, immigration, labor and employment, and entertainment law.
Since the late 1990s, when network-enabled gaming consoles began bringing competitive play into homes, our attorneys have advised clients on legal issues arising from the video game industry. Today, we continue to help industry participants manage risk, address emerging legal questions, and pursue opportunities as esports expands in the United States and abroad.
Our Firm
As a full-service law firm with offices across the United States and Canada, including established gaming markets such as Las Vegas and Reno, as well as growing markets such as Washington, D.C., and Ontario, Dickinson Wright represents clients in esports, online gaming, sports wagering, casino gaming, sweepstakes, contests, and other promotions.
Our Clients
We represent a broad range of clients across the esports sector, including:
- Game developers and publishers
- Streaming providers
- Hardware manufacturers
- Esports venues
- Sponsors and event promoters
- Businesses and service providers supporting the industry
Our Team
Members of our esports team are regularly recognized in leading legal rankings for gaming and licensing, including Chambers Canada® and Chambers Global®. The team also publishes updates through the firm’s Gaming and Hospitality Blog and Gaming and Hospitality Legal Newsletter to help clients stay informed of developments across the industry.
Our Services
Our lawyers have conducted 50-state reviews and analyses of esports and social gaming offerings. Depending on the jurisdiction, contests and promotions that appear unrelated to gaming may include wagering elements that raise legal concerns under state or federal law. We help clients evaluate those risks, understand applicable regulations, and structure offerings accordingly.
Gaming & Sports Wagering
Our attorneys advise sportsbooks, game publishers, hardware manufacturers, event promoters, venues, and other industry participants on gaming, esports wagering, and sports wagering matters. Our experience includes drafting tournament rules, interpreting wagering laws and regulations, advising on esports-specific legislation, and presenting at government and university programs in the United States and abroad.
Contract Negotiations, Sponsorships & Endorsements
Sponsorship and endorsement arrangements can create valuable opportunities but may also impose significant restrictions. We work with manufacturers, sponsors, teams, athletes, and event organizers to negotiate agreements that support commercial goals while protecting long-term flexibility.
Licensing & Regulatory Compliance
Our gaming clients rely on us to advocate and collaborate on their behalf with state and federal agencies. We advise on anti-money laundering requirements, gaming devices, testing and metering systems, wagering systems, liquor licensing, and other industry-specific regulations. We also draw on related experience across the firm, including government affairs, banking, insurance, labor and employment, energy, and telecommunications.
Protecting patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property can directly affect the long-term success of esports companies and participants. Our lawyers understand the technologies and business models involved and develop legal strategies designed to protect creative assets, products, brands, and investments.
Our lawyers represent performers, influencers, celebrities, and other clients operating across online, social, and traditional media. As esports athletes and personalities build broader commercial profiles, we advise them on endorsements, publicity rights, licensing, branding, and other aspects of their professional and commercial activities.
Litigation
When disputes involving players, teams, sponsors, publishers, venues, or other industry participants cannot be resolved informally, our litigators provide strategic representation focused on the client’s legal and business objectives. We handle matters ranging from individual commercial disputes to complex multiparty and multidistrict litigation.
