Profile
Mark Hichar focuses his practice on the gaming industry, and brings to each project over 25 years of experience working for gaming operators, system suppliers, game developers, and gaming licensees. Mark has worked as both inside and outside counsel to gaming companies, and understands the need to provide clear, practical, and actionable advice. Mark has particularly deep experience working with operators of casinos and lottery systems, and entities licensed by or contracted with domestic or foreign government gaming regulatory bodies. Working with clients of all sizes, Mark has advised and documented a variety of cross-border transactions and lottery privatizations, and has structured joint ventures to do business in countries including China, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Africa, and Taiwan.
Concentrations
- Gaming technology development and licensing
- Government procurement processes
- Structuring gaming-related joint ventures and teaming arrangements
- Gaming licensing applications
- Licensing, compliance and corporate governance issues
- Cross-border transactions
Capabilities
Experience
- Assistant General Counsel, GTECH Corporation, 1990-2000
- Counsel regarding client’s bids to provide online lottery hardware, software, and services in competitive procurements by state lottery authorities in Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin.°
- Counsel regarding client’s joint venture bids to provide online lottery hardware, software, and services in competitive procurements by government agencies in South Africa, Japan and Taiwan.°
- Counsel to a large New England casino – the 10th largest in the United States.°
- Counsel regarding a company’s application for a Massachusetts casino license in a competitive procurement.
- Counsel to a New England state in connection with its procurement of and contracting with the primary health benefit system supplier under the Affordable Care Act.°
- Counsel to a provider of federal and state government benefits via computerized networks (i.e., electronic benefits transfer – EBT). Advised with respect to proposals to the human services agencies in Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and San Bernardino/San Diego counties, and to the Northeast Coalition of States, the Southern Alliance of States, and the Western States’ Alliance.
- Advised in connection with contract to license war games software to the U.S. Department of the Navy.°
- Advised a startup company regarding its licensing of mobile interactive gaming software to casinos in Las Vegas.°
- Advised in connection with contract to license student loan administration system and software to the U.S. Department of Education.°
- Structured and documented joint venture to bid in competitive procurement by Taiwanese Government entity seeking a lottery system and related services. Drafted and negotiated transaction processing facilities management agreement and related gaming equipment and gaming software license agreements with Taiwanese joint venture.°
- Structured and documented joint venture to bid in competitive procurement by South African government entity seeking a lottery system and related services. Drafted and negotiated transaction processing facilities management agreement and related gaming equipment and gaming software license agreements with South African joint venture.°
- Structured and documented joint venture to bid in competitive procurement by Italian government entity seeking gaming-related transaction processing services.°
- Structured and documented joint venture to bid in gaming-related competitive procurements by Russian government entities.°
- Part of a team advising on Russian federal lottery legislation. Testified before a subcommittee of the Russian DUMA in this regard.°
- Advised in connection with competitive bid to provide transaction processing services and license gaming-related equipment and software to German government entity.°
- Advised a company providing amusement game software in connection with its licensing of such software to European distributors for gaming purposes.°
- Counsel for buyer in client’s 2008 acquisition of a slot machine manufacturer based in Germany.°
- Counsel for Canadian seller in 2006 sale of internet gaming subsidiaries and related assets.°
- Counsel for U.S. seller in 2002 sale of Lithuanian gaming subsidiary and related operations.°
°The above representations were handled by Mr. Hichar prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Chambers USA Guide, Gaming & Licensing, 2023
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Gaming Law, 2018-2024
- Listed, Boston Magazine, "Top Lawyers - Gaming Law," 2023
- Listed, Thomson Reuters, "Stand-Out Lawyers," 2022-2023
- Listed, Acritas Stars™ Independently Rated Lawyers, "Star Lawyers," 2021
- Selected, Gambling Compliance, "Best Regulatory Lawyer of the Year (North America)," 2018
- Director, Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, 2017-Present
- Member, Town of Westwood Information Technology Board, 2012-Present
Credentials
Education
- J.D., University of Chicago Law School
- Universität Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany (Rotary Foundation Scholar)
- B.A., Yale College
Admissions
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
Languages
- German, Conversational