Stephen D. Schrier Named 2021 Sports, Gaming & Entertainment Law Trailblazer by The National Law Journal
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Stephen D. Schrier, who serves as co-chair of the firm's Gaming practice and chair of the Sports Law practice, has been named a 2021 Sports, Gaming & Entertainment Law Trailblazer by The National Law Journal.
This annual Trailblazer award series, developed by the business arm of The National Law Journal, recognizes leading sports, gaming, and entertainment law professionals from across the country who have experienced significant success in their careers and are “agents of change” who have made “sweeping efforts” to make positive contributions to the industry.
Steve’s 2021 Trailblazer profile was published in the November/December 2021 special supplement of The National Law Journal, available here (page 60), and copied in full below.
Stephen D. Schrier • Blank Rome LLP
Trailblazer: Sports, Gaming & Entertainment Law
What was the genesis of the path that has made you a trailblazer?
During my more than 30 years of involvement in gaming law, as a regulator and as counsel to gaming companies, sports betting and online casinos were always talked about, but had never become a reality. In the late 2000s, I began working with foreign and U.S. operators with the vision to see the future of this kind of gaming. Assisting these visionary operators in overcoming legal challenges and preparing for the legalization, allowed me to understand the complexities of sports betting and online casinos in the context of U.S. regulatory law. And Pennsylvania's legalization of land-based casinos allowed me to work with a Native American tribe, successful on its tribal lands, to expand a commercial venture to a new jurisdiction. Pennsylvania's legalization also allowed me to assist a longtime racetrack operator to offer casino gaming and racing together under that new law.
What sort of change has resulted from the concept?
Sports betting is sweeping the United States, with more than 20 new states allowing some form of sports betting. On the land-based casino side, Pennsylvania's new casinos and racinos now account for the most tax revenue from gaming in any state.
What bearing will this have on the future?
The paradigm of typical casinos has now changed, and all casinos are looking to partner with experts or become proficient at sports betting and online casino wagering. The gaming industry has now expanded and will continue to expand beyond brick-and-mortar casinos to the online world of gambling. This will provide enormous opportunities for creativity and new development by many more companies that previously were involved in legal gambling. These opportunities will need legal assistance in the numerous states that are now legalizing gaming and sports betting.