Sean M McGuinness

Practice Areas

Gaming

Career

Sean McGuinness represents gaming industry clients in regulatory, licensing, and compliance matters across the United States. He advises commercial gaming operators, sports betting companies, tribal gaming entities, and financial institutions on regulatory requirements in Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Mississippi, and other jurisdictions. Sean handles matters before state gaming control boards and commissions, assists clients with licensing applications and regulatory approvals, and provides guidance on gaming bankruptcy proceedings. His practice encompasses both commercial and tribal gaming sectors, with particular focus on navigating multijurisdictional regulatory frameworks.

Sean’s regulatory practice includes representing gaming operators before the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the Nevada Gaming Commission, the Colorado Division of Gaming, the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission, the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission, the Mississippi Gaming Commission, and the National Indian Gaming Commission. He has participated in gaming regulatory matters in Arizona, California, Canada, Illinois, Ireland, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, Switzerland, Tinian, and Washington. Sean counsels clients on licensing requirements, regulatory compliance, new game approvals, and the regulatory aspects of gaming industry transactions. He also represents banking clients in financing transactions involving licensed gaming entities.

Sean brings direct industry experience to his practice, having served as Vice President and General Counsel for The Resort at Summerlin (1997-2001), where he handled legal and regulatory matters for the Swiss Casinos-owned property. He previously served as Compliance Director for the Mississippi Gaming Commission (1992-1993), where he gained firsthand knowledge of regulatory enforcement and compliance procedures. Sean began his gaming law career as an administrative law clerk for the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission, involved with drafting of Iowa’s initial gaming regulations developing an understanding of regulatory processes from the government perspective. He maintained a private gaming law practice in Mississippi from 1994 to 1997. After his time with The Resort at Summerlin, Sean returned to private law practice of gaming law in 2001 and practiced gaming law for 25 years in his prior firms’ Las Vegas, Reno and Denver offices before joining Greenberg Traurig in 2026.

In addition to gaming regulatory work, Sean has experience in communications law, handling FCC broadcast licensing and compliance matters for radio stations in Colorado, Mississippi, and Nevada. This background provides him with broader regulatory perspective that informs his gaming practice.

Sean maintains active involvement in gaming law organizations, having served as Past Chair of the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s Gaming Law Committee and on the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Nevada’s Gaming Law Section. He is a member of the International Association of Gaming Advisors and International Masters of Gaming Law. Sean frequently presents on gaming law topics at industry conferences and has authored numerous articles on gaming regulation, compliance, and emerging industry issues.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association (Business Law Section – Past Chair of the Gaming Law Committee); International Association of Gaming Advisors; International Masters of Gaming Law (Co-Chair, 2016 IMGL Autumn Conference); State Bar of Nevada (Past member of Gaming Law Section Executive Committee); the Mississippi Bar; Iowa State Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association.

Publications

Exclusive Gaming Law Representative – Colorado, Cross Border Advisory Solutions

Member, American Bar Association; Member, Business Law Section; Chair, Gaming Law Committee, 2003-2007

Member, International Association of Gaming Advisors

Member, International Masters of Gaming Law; Co-Chair, IMGL Autumn Conference, Dublin, 2016

Member, Colorado Bar Association; Member, Gaming Entertainment & Sports Section

Member, State Bar of Nevada; Member, Gaming Law Section; Member, Executive Committee, 2004-2016

Member, Iowa State Bar Association

Member, Mississippi Bar

Member, Denver Bar Association

Member, Clark County Bar Association

Member, Washoe County Bar Association

Board of Counselors, Drake University Law School, 2025-Present

Board Member, Irish Network Nevada, 2013-Present

Board Member, Irish Network USA, 2017 -Present

Board Member, CelticFest Mississippi, 1993-1997; President 1995-1997

Member, Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, 2016-Present

Personal

Education

B.A., Drake University, 1986

J.D., Drake University Law School

M.A., Journalism, Drake University, 1989