Priority Deadline: January 10, 2025
The application is now closed and enrollment is full at 18 students.
Those students on the waitlist will be notified if any accepted student decides to drop the course.
Course Description
May 19 - 30, 2025
LAW 790 Special Topics: Comparative Gaming Law – Asia Study Tour (2 units)
This study tour is designed to provide students with a unique and intensive experience exploring the gaming industry in Macau, Singapore, and Japan. This course will analyze legal and regulatory concepts for the conduct of gambling activities in three jurisdictions in Asia. The course will provide basic information about the history and development of gambling and compare concepts to the United States market. The instructors will provide students a guided review of the role of gambling in historically rich cultures.
Faculty
Dean Leah Chan Grinvald joined the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, where she was associate dean for academic affairs and professor of law. Dean Grinvald is an internationally recognized intellectual property law scholar, whose research focuses on the enforcement of intellectual property law, and the potential negative impacts of related laws on small businesses and entrepreneurs. Her work has appeared in some of the nation’s leading law journals. Dean Grinvald’s most recent work focuses on the intersection of the “right to repair” and intellectual property law. Dean Grinvald has previously taught courses in Contracts, Copyright, International Intellectual Property, Negotiation, Trademark Law and Trademark Practice at her prior institutions, Suffolk Law and St. Louis University School of Law. Before joining academia, Dean Grinvald began her career in the private sector after clerking for The Honorable Frank Sullivan, Jr. (ret) of the Indiana State Supreme Court. She served as the global corporate counsel at TaylorMade Golf Company, and as a corporate associate at two international law firms, Latham & Watkins LLP and at Clifford Chance US LLP in their San Diego offices. Dean Grinvald received her JD from New York University Law School and a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University.
Jennifer Roberts is the General Counsel of Wynn Interactive and WynnBET, the online and mobile sports betting and casino gaming branch of Wynn Resorts. She previously served brief roles as General Counsel of GameCo and as Director of Sports Gaming Regulation of the Tennessee Lottery Education Corporation. She was previously interim Executive Director of UNLV’s International Center for Gaming Regulation; owner of Roberts Gaming Law, Ltd., a boutique law firm; and a gaming law partner at Duane Morris LLP. She practiced gaming law in private practice for 13 years and became a partner at Nevada-based law firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins.
Program Director
Sarah Gonzales is Director of Graduate Programs at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law. At UNLV she is in charge of non-JD programs including the LL.M. in Gaming Law and Regulation. She previously served as Assistant Director, and Director of Recruitment and Marketing at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law. In addition to her work in higher education, she serves the NAFSA: Association for International Educators on their Trainer Corp teaching Intercultural Communication in Practice, Admissions and Placement of International Students, and Assessment and Evaluation for International Educators. She has also taught Cross Cultural Negotiation and Conflict Management at Pepperdine Law for five years prior to joining UNLV, and is co-chair of the FIGT Research Network for the Families in Global Transition, a cross-cultural education and training organization for expats. She has extensive international travel experience having completed her Fulbright Program in Japan in 2017, and has lived in China, Philippines, Ecuador, Colombia, and Taiwan.
Program Eligibility
Students must be in good standing at UNLV Law to participate. Students visiting from another ABA accredited law school must have permission from that law school’s dean to participate in the program. Application may include a zoom interview for visiting students. Grading and credit for the course is subject to determination by the visiting student’s home school. Enrollment is limited to 18 students.
Program Costs
Students are responsible for tuition, transportation to Singapore and return from Japan, and the course fee to cover transportation, shared-housing and group activities in Asia.
Tuition is charged at the following per unit rates JD Resident $1,126, JD Non-Resident $1,643, LLM Resident $1,450, and LLM Non-Resident $1,750 rate, plus UNLV fees. In addition to tuition, this two unit course will charge a course fee of $2,300. This course fee will include expenses for shared hotel accommodations in Macau, Singapore, and Japan; flights from Singapore to Macau; flights from Macau to Japan; welcome dinner and closing dinner. Housing arrangements are for shared hotel accommodations arriving Sunday, May 18, 2025 and departing Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Estimated Budget
The estimated Budget based on tuition costs for the 2024 – 2025 academic year is:
| JD | LLM | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident | Non-Resident | Resident | Non-Resident | |
| Tuition | $1,070 | $1,562 | $1,450 | $1,750 |
| Course Fee | $2,300 | |||
| Room | shared accommodations part of course fee | |||
| Personal Expenses | $600 | |||
| Transportation | $1,700 | |||
| Books/Supplies | $350 | |||
Grading and Attendance
Regular and punctual class attendance is required, as are reflection papers and a final paper based on a topic of the student's choosing. This course will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Acceptance of any credit or grade for any course taken in the program is subject to determination by the student’s home school.
Facilities and Draft Schedule
The program will be held in Singapore, Macau and Japan. The class is comprised of pre-departure lectures at UNLV in the schedule emailed to accepted students, and in country meetings with law firms, casino operators, regulators and technology providers. The schedule for the days in each jurisdiction will be from 8 am to 6 pm, and there will also be evening functions on at least four occasions.
- Singapore - May 19 - 21: Classes will be held in a conference room at the class hotel, and conference rooms at field trip sites.
- Macau - May 21 - 24: Classes will be held in a classroom at the University of Macau, the class hotel, and conference rooms at field trip sites.
- Japan - May 26 - 30: Classes will be held in a conference room at the class hotel, and conference rooms at field trip sites.
Facility locations will be updated as meetings confirm. Schedule is subject to change.
Access for Students with Disabilities
The program will make every effort to be accessible to students with disabilities. The program recognizes that it is being held in three different foreign countries where laws and accessibility might be different from U.S. standards.
Additional Notes
- Students in good standing will be allowed to sign up for this course on a first-come, first-served basis. The application is currently closed and enrollment of the class is full at 18 students.
- The program might be canceled if the university determines that world events present unreasonable risks for students to travel to the region, or for low student participation. If the university decides to cancel the program, all students will be notified via email.
- Students who withdraw after March 6th will still be responsible for paying the course fee. The university tuition payment policy and refund policy can be found on the Cashiering & Student Accounts website.
- Students should not make any travel plans, or incur any expense until the tour is formally confirmed by Boyd Law at UNLV. Students will be solely and personally responsible for expenses paid prior to the trip's confirmation.
- Students should visit travel.state.gov for travel advice that can be pulled up by individual country. Additional details can be found on the CDC website for Singapore, Macau and Japan for vaccination requirements. Visas are not required for U.S. citizens traveling to Macau, Singapore and Japan.
Additional Resources
For travel information, please refer to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact Sarah Gonzales at 702-895-3654 or sarah.gonzales@unlv.edu