Michael R. Peacock

Senior Counsel
Michael Peacock headshot

Overview

Michael Peacock is a business attorney in Holland & Knight's Philadelphia office. Mr. Peacock provides legal and strategic advice to domestic and international clients in the gaming, entertainment, professional sport and hospitality industries concerning commercial transactions, corporate structuring and restructuring, gaming licensing and regulatory matters, credit transactions and financing, as well as real estate sales and acquisitions.

Mr. Peacock has more than a decade of experience representing a wide array of highly sophisticated clients in the areas of gaming regulatory matters, gaming licensing, corporate formation and structuring, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), real estate transactions, and land use and redevelopment matters.

Mr. Peacock handles all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition, disposition, leasing, development and financing of commercial real estate. Additionally, he advises institutional lenders in a broad range of financing transactions for multifamily and commercial properties.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Peacock is a frequent speaker, panelist or moderator on sports wagering, internet gaming and gambling-related topics at events and conferences throughout the United States.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Peacock was an associate in the corporate practice at an international law firm. 

Representative Experience

  • Drafted market-access agreements with sports betting operators on behalf of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in advance of the enactment of gaming legislation in multiple states
  • Advised a National Football League (NFL) team regarding sweepstakes and other promotional activities in the U.S.

  • Counseled Parthenon Capital, a leading growth-oriented private equity firm, with its acquisition and transition of Global Payments Gaming Solutions (now known as Pavilion Payments)
  • Counseled a Pennsylvania-based investor group in its development of, and joint venture transaction relative to, a new Bally's-branded casino to be located proximate to Penn State University
  • Advised numerous confidential private equity, venture capital and real estate capital clients in matters relating to acquisitions of casino and gambling-related assets and internet-gambling strategies

  • Counseled Stats Perform with multiple master license agreements, various customer contracts, compliance initiatives, gaming regulatory matters and proposed licensing arrangement with SportsContentCo
  • Counseled US DataCo Holdings and SportsContentCo with their national strategy and transactional work attendant to the reselling of Stats Perform data into the U.S. gaming vertical

  • Represented a national drugstore chain and its affiliates in connection with their Chapter 11 bankruptcy to work with landlords at locations across the U.S. to amend the client’s leases and reduce their overall debt
  • Assisted one of the largest privately owned casino owners/operators in obtaining licensure for new casino operations in New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
  • Prepared and presented numerous zoning/development applications for Fortune 500 companies throughout the state of New Jersey
  • Prepared numerous commercial and residential real estate purchase and sale agreements, corporate organizational documents, operating agreements, and commercial and residential real estate lease agreements for numerous small, mid-sized and large businesses

Credentials

Education
  • Rutgers Law School, J.D.
  • University of Pennsylvania, B.A., International Relations, magna cum laude
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • All U.S. District Courts in New Jersey
  • All State Courts in New Jersey
  • All State Courts in Pennsylvania
Memberships
  • New Jersey State Bar Association, Casino Law Section, Member, 2018-Present; Chair, 2022-2023
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association, 2010-Present
  • American Bar Association, 2010-Present
  • Atlantic County Bar Association, 2010-Present
  • Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City, Pro Bono Counsel, 2020-Present
Honors & Awards
  • Global Gaming Business Magazine, Emerging Leaders of Gaming 40 Under 40, 2022
  • Dean's List, Rutgers Law School, 2007, 2008
  • Hunter Moot Court Board, Rutgers Law School, 2009-2010

Publications

Speaking Engagements