Laura

D’Angelo

Position: Partner
Office: Lexington

Laura D’Angelo is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group and co-leader of the Gaming Industry Team. She advises clients on a range of business transactions across industries, with significant experience in corporate gaming and equine law.

Laura is an accomplished corporate lawyer who leverages her experience in private practice, as former in-house general counsel, and as a highly regarded thought leader to provide practical, business-focused legal advice. She regularly represents multinational corporations, privately held companies, and high-net-worth individuals and family offices across the United States and internationally, helping them identify and maximize opportunities while addressing ever-evolving areas of risk. Laura advises clients on a broad range of issues, ranging from business formations, choice of entity, and corporate governance, to operational matters, contract negotiations, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, regulatory compliance, and other transactions.

Over the course of her career, she has developed a significant practice in equine, racing, gaming, and entertainment law. Laura helps clients ensure compliance with the complex and often overlapping state and federal laws and regulations that govern these unique industries. Earlier in her career, she served as associate general counsel to Magna Entertainment Corp (now The Stronach Group or 1/ST Racing) and as general counsel to Gulfstream Park in Miami, Florida. Laura works routinely with leading gaming officials, legislators, and companies worldwide, providing counsel on acquisitions and sales, financing, state and federal regulation, state licensing and regulation of advance deposit wagering, sports betting, charitable companies, and service-provider agreements.

In her equine work, Laura has represented horse show and competition organizers, riders, owners, trainers, breeders, and trade associations. She provides advice on every aspect of the horse business, including purchases and sales, formation of syndicates and partnerships, licensing of United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) competitions and resolution of USEF data disputes, establishment of non-profits, real estate transactions, and issues involving the operations of commercial horse farms of all sizes, including boarding, leases, liability waivers, and consignment and breeding agreements. Laura advises family offices worldwide on issues involving business structure, nationality of horses for International Federation for Equestrian Sports (Fédération Équestre International, or FEI) purposes, and review of team and rider agreements. She also provides guidance on FEI and USEF licensing, sponsorships, and media agreements.

She has more than two decades of experience serving as lender’s counsel for national and regional banks and private equity funds and is a member of the American Bar Association’s Commercial Finance and Secured Lending committees. Among other areas, Laura has advised clients on real estate- and asset-backed middle-market secured financing matters, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Article 9 compliance, and workouts, including loan documentation, inter-creditor agreements, subordination agreements, forbearance agreements, and related documents.

Laura speaks and writes frequently on a range of corporate, gaming, and equine-law matters. She has spoken at events such as the American Law Institute’s Choice of Entity program, the American Bar Association’s Gaming Law and other meetings, the Kentucky Bar Association’s annual meeting, and the National Equine Law Conference, and has lectured at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton School of Business, the UK College of Law, and the UK College of Agriculture. In addition to being quoted in The New York Times, the Toronto Globe & Mail, the Lexington Herald-Leader, Legal Sports Report, and Thoroughbred Times, Laura has been published in Gaming Law Review and Economics, Casino Enterprise Management, Casino Lawyer, Business Lexington, and The Blood Horse.

Noteworthy

Experience

Gaming and Pari-Mutuel Wagering

Participated with Jones Walker team in reviewing and analyzing multiple license applications submitted to the New York State Gaming Commission for three downstate casino licenses awarded in 2025.
Specialty wagering counsel to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office in the sale of Pimlico Park racetrack from The Stronach Group (1/ST Racing) to the state of Maryland; negotiated domestic and international simulcast and wagering agreements with Monarch Content Management.
Served as Kentucky lender’s counsel and regulatory counsel to a private equity firm in a $150 million financing package for the purchase and redevelopment of Kentucky Downs, including corporate, financing, and regulatory matters; licensing and ownership disclosure issues; and representation before the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (now Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corp.).
Represented an international investor group in purchasing a minority interest in a Kentucky racetrack; provided licensing representation before the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and advised on legality and expansion of historical horse racing (HHR) machines.
Represented the purchaser of a Michigan racetrack through acquisition, ownership, and eventual sale, including all transactional documentation and licensing and regulatory work before the Michigan Racing Commission.
Advised a publicly traded company acquiring a privately held, gaming‑licensed business across multiple jurisdictions, including analysis of licensing requirements and tribal gaming agreements.
Ongoing representation of multiple advance-deposit wagering (ADW) iGaming companies on federal and state compliance and licensing matters, including licensing matters before the North Dakota and Oregon racing commissions and various state commissions for licensing matters.
Prepared payment‑processing opinions (federal and 50-state review) for WorldPay, PayPal, First Data, and others. Analyzed application and compliance with federal anti-gambling laws, the Wire Act, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, and the Interstate Horse Racing Act.
Represented a publicly traded gaming company in a competitive bid for a new Kentucky racetrack and gaming license, including statutory and regulatory analysis, preparation of bid submissions, and appearances before the Kentucky Racing Commission.
Counseled client on the sale of an interest in an iGaming company, including negotiating and drafting acquisition documents, conducting due diligence, structuring options and earn-outs, and drafting fantasy horse-racing qualifier and tournament rules.
Former general counsel to Gulfstream Park and associate general counsel to Magna Entertainment Corp. (now Stronach Group/1/ST Racing), providing regulatory counsel to 12 racetracks. Negotiated and drafted national and international simulcast agreements and strategy. Conducted oversight of litigation counsel and lobbyists. Reviewed contracts for food service, vendors, music acts, and horsemen’s groups.

Equine: Thoroughbreds, Sport Horses, and Other Breeds

Ongoing counsel to the Split Rock Jumping Tour, from initial startup through present 10-horse show series for real estate acquisition, show management agreements, licensing (USEF/FEI), vendor and official agreements, livestreaming rights, sponsorship, software development, intellectual property matters, employment issues, and overall event operations including the FEI World Cup Finals 2026.
Outside corporate and regulatory counsel to the World Equestrian Center Ocala during the four-year startup process on USEF/FEI licensing, mileage exemption requests and disputes, date‑award appeals, and global resolution of Florida date‑allocation matters.
Ongoing outside counsel to several family offices with sport horse interests, including corporate organization and structure, intercompany agreements, rider agreements, facility leasing, and advice on team agreements for Global Champions Tour and Major League Show Jumping.
Counsel to private and commercial equine facilities, owners, breeders, and trainers on real estate leasing and purchase, equine purchases and sales, entity formation, boarding agreements, waivers, racing and sport horse leases, bills of sale, and operational, employment, insurance, and risk‑management issues.
Corporate counsel providing advice and drafting of organizational documents including choice of entity, shareholder agreements, operating agreements, and buy-sell agreements and review of lending agreements.
Drafting and negotiation of racing partnership agreements and advice on federal and state securities compliance.
Drafting or negotiation of purchase and sale agreements and syndicate agreements for multiple thoroughbred stallion prospects including NOT THIS TIME and JACK CHRISTOPER, FREE DROP BILLY, DENNIS’ MOMENT, DIALED IN, TO HONOR AND SERVE, GHOST ZAPPER, AWESOME AGAIN, BIG BROWN, and numerous others.
Preparation of and counsel on syndication of elite sport horses and young prospects for show jumping and three-day eventing.
Advise on FEI compliance for horses set to compete for Olympic nations, including compliance with rules governing the nationality of horses.
Corporate counsel to multiple equine nonprofit organizations including Retired Racehorse Project, the Thoroughbred Makeover, New Vocations, and the Paso Fino Horse Association. Provide corporate governance and board of director advice, rule book interpretation and rule drafting, and hearing committee support.
Twenty-plus years’ experience as lender’s counsel for major regional banks drafting commercial loan documents for asset-backed middle-market deals with thoroughbred bloodstock and other assets as collateral.
Representation of veterinarians and veterinary clinics with respect to regulatory compliance, purchase and sale of veterinary practices, and employment matters.

Laura

D’Angelo

Noteworthy

Experience

Publications

Presentations

Memberships

Education

Bar Admissions

Court Admissions

Related Practices

Related Industries