Scott E. Andress

Scott Andress focuses his corporate and transactional practice on gaming law and has represented gaming industry interests since the early years of casino gaming in Mississippi. He advises privately owned and publicly traded casino operators and developers, gaming equipment manufacturers and distributors, sportsbook operators, lenders, equity investors and owners of qualifying gaming sites. His work spans licensing, permitting and approvals, regulatory compliance, lending transactions, equity investments and mergers and acquisitions. He also handles questions concerning the legality of gaming sites and litigation involving patron disputes.

Scott regularly represents clients before the Mississippi Gaming Commission and has appeared before the Mississippi Supreme Court numerous times. He tried many early patron dispute cases, most of which were ultimately considered by the court, and played a leading role in establishing Mississippi precedent in that area. His gaming work also includes counseling on regulatory and transactional matters for commercial lenders and investors, including banks, private equity management firms and investment banking firms. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the International Association of Gaming Advisors.

Beyond gaming, Scott represents a range of business organizations in corporate and transactional matters. His work includes business organization and corporate governance, as well as representing purchasers, sellers and lenders in mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, and commercial real estate transactions.

Scott earned an undergraduate degree in engineering and worked as a management information consultant before attending law school. He draws on those experiences in his approach to legal work, combining technical precision with attention to a project’s broader business objectives.

• Gaming licensing: Representation of several independent directors of a publicly-traded gaming company in their application, investigation and licensing in jurisdictions throughout the United States. (2020 – present)
• Rubber plant acquisition: As lead counsel, represented the seller of an operating rubber plant in Tippah County, Mississippi. (2022)
• Casino acquisition: Represented Saratoga Casino Holdings LLC in its purchase of Magnolia Bluffs Casino and Hotel in Natchez, Mississippi. (2022)
• Lottery establishment and launch: Represented the Mississippi Lottery Corporation in its establishment, selection of vendors, and licensing of retailers, and the successful launch of the Mississippi Lottery. (2019) 
• Gaming licensing: Successfully guided an international sportsbook provider through the Mississippi licensing process in under ten weeks, thereby permitting operations to commence prior to football season. (2018)
• Casino refinancing:  Represented a growth equity firm in the $55 million refinancing of the second lien debt of Full House Resorts, Inc. (2016)
• Casino financing: Represented a global investment management firm in the $18 million financing of a Mississippi casino acquisition. (2015)
• Casino financing: Representation of a growth equity firm in the $27 million refinancing of the debt of a Mississippi casino. (2015)
• Fabric mill acquisition: As lead counsel, representation of the purchaser of the membership interests of a company owning and operating a North Carolina fabric mill.  (2015)
• Casino acquisition: Represented Twin River Management Group in its $250 million purchase of the equity securities of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi.  (2014)
• Casino acquisition: As lead counsel, represented the owners of Silver Slipper Casino in Hancock County, Mississippi in the $70 million sale of their membership interests to Full House Resorts. (2012)
• Gaming licensing: Representation of the interests and intellectual property of an internationally acclaimed recording artist and songwriter in his affiliation with a Mississippi Gulf Coast casino bearing his name. (2012)
• Casino acquisition: Representation of Churchill Downs Incorporated in its $138 million acquisition of the equity securities of Harlow’s Casino Resort & Hotel in Greenville, Mississippi, and its $141 million acquisition of the equity securities of Riverwalk Casino Hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi. (2010, 2012)
• Patron dispute: Successfully defended a casino against a $1 million slot machine jackpot claim, proven to be the result of a malfunction.  (2009, Eash v. Imperial Palace of Miss., LLC, 4 So. 3d 1042 (Miss.)) 
• Casino development and opening: Represented Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos during the development, construction, and opening phases, including licensing and all other regulatory approvals. One of these was the first land-based casino built on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. (2006, 2007)

• Tulane University Law School, J.D., 1992, cum laude; Certificate of Completion in Environmental Studies
• Louisiana State University, B.S., 1986, Petroleum Engineering

• Mississippi, 1992
• District of Columbia, 1995
• Texas, 2015
• Alabama, 2022

• Chambers USA, Corporate/Commercial: Gaming & Licensing, Band 1, 2005 - present
• The Best Lawyers in America^®, Corporate Law, Gaming Law, 2005 - present
  • Lawyer of the Year, Jackson, Gaming Law, 2013, 2021 & 2025
• Mid-South Super Lawyers, 2006 - 2009, 2011 - present
• AV - rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Mississippi Business Journal’s Leadership in Law Class of 2015

• LSU Alumni Association, Jackson, Mississippi Chapter, Board of Directors, Secretary