Esports Law: Intellectual Property, Regulation, and the Evolving Role of Counsel (2026 Edition)

Reade Jacob, Counsel | WilmerHale

Reade Jacob is counsel at WilmerHale, where he represents gaming companies, financial institutions, social media platforms, marketing companies, and other commercial clients across a wide range of regulatory, enforcement, litigation, licensing, and compliance matters. With nearly a decade of experience advising clients on gaming issues, his practice spans the full spectrum of the industry — from daily fantasy sports and social casinos to sports wagering, sweepstakes, and the emerging legal questions surrounding freemium and quasi-gambling games. He is a trusted adviser to clients navigating the intersection of gaming law, consumer protection, and data privacy in an increasingly regulated environment.

• Education & Credentials

Reade earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2014, where he served as Senior Articles Editor of the Virginia Law & Business Review. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Davidson College, where he was a Presidential Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. He is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional in the United States (CIPP/US).

• Recognition & Leadership

Reade has been named to the 2024 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll. He serves as Communications Chair for the Administrative Law Section of the Virginia Bar Association and is a published author on gambling and sports betting issues, with articles appearing in Lexology’s Getting the Deal Through and The Gambling Law Review.

• Professional Involvement

Reade is an active voice in the sports and gaming legal community, regularly publishing client alerts and legal analyses on developments across fantasy sports, sports betting, sweepstakes casinos, and event wagering. He has contributed to WilmerHale’s Sports and Gaming practice group, which has tracked and analyzed major legal and regulatory shifts across the industry, including enforcement trends, legislative developments, and the expansion of prediction markets.

• Experience

Reade’s gaming and regulatory experience is extensive. He has advised tribes and sports betting companies on federal and state gaming issues in connection with sports gambling legalization efforts in New York and California, represented daily fantasy sports companies in non-public state investigations, and counseled social media and multimedia platforms on the legality of freemium games across all 50 states. He has defended social casino operators in federal class action suits and advised multinational gambling companies on federal Wire Act compliance. On the regulatory and enforcement side, Reade has represented clients before the CFPB, FTC, and state attorneys general, and has negotiated settlements and consent orders in high-stakes matters. His privacy practice includes data breach response, M&A due diligence, and compliance counseling under TCPA, CAN-SPAM, GLBA, and GDPR — experience he developed in part through an in-house secondment at a nationally chartered bank. Prior to joining WilmerHale, he clerked for the Honorable David J. Novak of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Blake Sweat, Senior Associate | WilmerHale

Blake Sweat is a senior associate at WilmerHale whose practice focuses on high-stakes government investigations, securities enforcement, and regulatory compliance. He advises companies, boards, and individuals before the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, and other regulatory agencies, and has experience managing sensitive internal investigations and high-profile corporate crises involving complex, multi-agency scrutiny. In addition to his enforcement and investigations work, Blake maintains an active sports betting and gaming practice, representing operators, technology providers, and investors across licensing, compliance, and regulatory strategy in a rapidly evolving market.

• Education & Credentials

Blake earned his B.A. from The University of Tennessee in 2017 and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2020. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia. During law school, he served as a Student Honors Program legal extern in the Division of Corporation Finance at the Securities and Exchange Commission and as a Janet D. Steiger Fellow in the Office of the Arkansas Attorney General.

• Recognition & Leadership

Blake has been recognized in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Securities Litigation — a distinction that reflects the caliber of his work and the trajectory of his practice in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

• Professional Involvement

Prior to joining WilmerHale, Blake served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Advocacy Division of the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. That experience on the regulatory side of the table informs his strategic, practical approach to interacting with government agencies and regulators on behalf of his clients today.

• Experience

Blake’s government investigations and enforcement practice spans matters before federal and state regulators, including securities fraud, consumer protection, and multi-agency corporate crises. His sports and gaming practice covers the full regulatory lifecycle — from licensing and product design to marketing and advertising compliance and direct engagement with regulators — helping clients operate and innovate confidently across multiple jurisdictions. He advises on integrity controls and compliance frameworks for operators and technology providers navigating one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing areas of the law.

Zachary Strebeck, Founding Attorney | Legal Moves

Zachary Strebeck is a California-based video game and board game lawyer and the founding attorney of Legal Moves PC, a law firm built exclusively around the game industry. With more than a decade representing game clients at every level of the industry, Zachary has developed a practice that is uniquely attuned to the legal and business realities facing game developers, publishers, and studios. His client work spans the full spectrum of the industry — from solo indie developers navigating their first licensing agreements to major film-to-video-game licensing transactions with budgets approaching $100 million.

• Education & Credentials

Zachary is licensed to practice law in California and focuses his practice on intellectual property, licensing, and business matters within the game industry.

• Recognition & Leadership

Zachary is the host of the Legal Moves podcast, where he translates complex game law topics into accessible guidance for developers and industry professionals. He has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and other media outlets as a recognized voice on legal issues in gaming, and has served as a featured speaker at Gen Con and numerous game industry conventions and podcasts.

• Professional Involvement

Zachary is an active participant in the game development community, regularly engaging with developers, publishers, and industry stakeholders through speaking appearances, media commentary, and educational content. His podcast and convention presence reflect a commitment to making legal guidance accessible to game creators at every stage — from early-stage indie studios to established studios pursuing high-value commercial deals.

• Experience

Zachary’s practice covers the legal needs of game clients across a wide range of matters, including intellectual property protection, licensing negotiations, contract drafting, and business structuring. He has handled licensing deals spanning film-to-game adaptations and other high-value transactions, as well as the day-to-day legal needs of indie studios and individual creators. His decade-plus of game-focused practice gives him a depth of industry knowledge that informs both his legal counsel and his broader role as an educator and advocate for the game development community.

Jacob Vela, Founder | Argo Law

Jacob Vela is a transactional attorney and the founder of Argo Law, a boutique law firm built specifically for game developers, content creators, app developers, website owners, and other creative professionals. Combining a lifelong passion for game development with deep expertise in intellectual property and contracts, Jacob brings a perspective to his practice that few attorneys in this space can offer — that of a working creator who understands firsthand the legal and business challenges that arise when creative work begins to scale. His practice is rooted in the belief that strong legal foundations should be accessible to independent developers and small creative studios, not just large publishers and studios.

• Education & Credentials

Jacob earned his J.D. and is licensed to practice law, with a focus on intellectual property, contracts, and transactional matters serving the game development and creative industries. During law school, he developed a strong interest in IP and contracts — recognizing these as the foundational legal tools every game developer needs as their work grows — and he has built his practice around those disciplines ever since.

• Recognition & Leadership

Jacob is a published game developer with a commercial release on Steam, Star Rift Saga, giving him a unique standing in the game development community as both a legal adviser and an active creator. This dual identity has made him a trusted voice among independent developers navigating the intersection of creative work and legal compliance.

• Professional Involvement

Jacob is an engaged member of the game development and creative communities, sharing legal guidance through his blog and outreach efforts aimed at helping developers and creators understand their rights, structure their businesses, and protect their work. His firm, Argo Law, reflects a mission-driven approach to legal practice — one focused on solving and preventing problems so that creators can focus on what they do best.

• Experience

Jacob’s transactional practice covers intellectual property protection, contract drafting and negotiation, business formation, and legal compliance for game developers, content creators, and digital publishers. He advises clients on the full range of legal needs that arise in game development and publishing — from protecting original IP and structuring collaborations with other creators, to navigating the legal complexities of bringing a game to market.

SESSION 1 – Emerging Regulatory Considerations and the Evolving Role of Counsel | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

The rules are still being written — but your clients can’t wait. This session covers the regulatory issues already hitting esports clients and prepares attorneys to advise confidently in a space where the law is still catching up.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 2 – Intellectual Property in Competitive Video Games and the Industry | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

Competitive gaming runs on IP — and knowing who owns what changes everything. This session breaks down the rights behind the game, the broadcast, and the brand, and equips attorneys to spot disputes before they escalate.