London, England, United Kingdom
Tony Downes' practice at Sidley Austin includes public and private M&A and investments, private equity transactions, joint ventures and other complex cross-border corporate and commercial matters. He has extensive experience working across the betting and gaming, sports, media, technology, real estate and hospitality sectors for private equity sponsors, private businesses and listed public companies. Tony led the team awarded Corporate Team Of The Year 2019 by Legal Business Magazine for work advising William Hill on its entry into an exclusive partnership with Eldorado Resorts for sports betting operations in the United States. Tony was also named as a Rising Star for M&A and Private Equity by IFLR1000 2020, with noted expertise in the betting and gaming sector. Tony has represented numerous clients in the betting and gaming, sports, real estate and hospitality, media and technology industries, including William Hill, Accor SA, Endorphin Magine, GVC Ladbrokes Coral, Kindred, The Stars Group, MGM Resorts, NIO Formula E Racing Team, Sky PLC, the International Boxing Association, the World Series of Boxing, the Ladies European Tour, King Digital Entertainment, Virgin Active Group and Odeon & UCI Cinemas. Tony has also represented numerous clients in the private equity and real estate industry, advising clients such as 7Ridge, Synova, Apollo Global Management, Lone Star Funds, Terra Firma Capital Partners, Investcorp, Pollen Street Capital, Exponent, Abry, BHMS, ICG, Five Arrows, TPG Capital, Meadow Capital Management, EIG Partners, Goldentree Asset Management and Blackrock. Prior to joining Sidley Austin, Tony practiced at Proskauer Rose, Slaughter and May, Ropes & Gray and Gibson Dunn in London, and with Blake Dawson Waldron in Australia. Tony qualified as an Australian lawyer in 2007 and has since qualified to practice in England and Wales under the QLTT. Tony earned his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at the University of Melbourne in 2005, and also completed a Bachelor of Commerce in 2005, reading in Accounting, Economics and Finance.
Partner in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Equity Transactions and Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Selected experience includes: * advising BetCity in relation to its disposal to Entain PLC; * advising Endorphin Magine in relation to its media, sponsorship and betting rights arrangements with the Croatian Football Federation; * advising William Hill PLC in relation to its partnership with Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and eventual merger, its investments in and software development contracts with NeoGames, and numerous other matters; * advising 7Ridge in relation to its investments in Raft Technologies, Digital Assets Holdings, Inc. and KRM PLC, and its acquisition of Trading Technologies International; * advising Accor SA in relation to its joint venture with Ennismore, to create the world's leading lifestyle hospitality group; * advising Synova in relation to its disposal of Fairstone and its acquisition of Orbis; and * advising Investcorp in relation to its investment in a payment technology service provider to the betting and gaming industry.
Senior Associate Attorney practicing in private equity transactions, public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets, joint ventures and general corporate and commercial law matters. Selected experience includes: • advising NIO, Inc. on its disposal of the NIO NextEV Formula E Racing Team; • advising William Hill PLC on its exclusive partnership with Eldorado Resorts, Inc. for sports betting operations in the United States; • advising William Hill PLC on entry into a Master Software Development & Licence Agreement, and associated funding arrangements, with NeoGames; • advising William Hill PLC on its exclusive partnership with IGT to provide sports betting service to lottery operators in the United States; • advising William Hill PLC on its disposal of its equity interest in NYX Gaming Group to Scientific Games, and associated commercial arrangements; • advising William Hill PLC on its proposed merger of equals with Amaya, Inc.; • advising Golden Gate Capital on its acquisition of Fibercore Limited; • advising Terra Firma on its £921m disposal of Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group to AMC Entertainment Holdings; • advising William Hill PLC on its consortium investment in NYX Gaming Group and subsequent £275m acquisition of OpenBet Technologies; • advising a global private equity sponsor on its acquisition of a portfolio operating company in the United Kingdom and subsequent disposal; • advising Meadow Capital Management on its acquisition of a distressed property holding company; • advising Gala Coral Group on the antitrust aspects of its £2.3bn merger with Ladbrokes PLC; • advising the management team at Virgin Active Group in relation to the £870m acquisition of Virgin Active Group by Brait SA from CVC Capital Partners and the Virgin Group; and • seconded to Gala Coral Group to assist with the proposed disposal of its Gala Bingo operations.
Senior Corporate Counsel at Gala Coral Group
Consultant Legal Advisor to Ladies European Tour