David B. Hoppe is an international transactional lawyer and a recognized authority on the legal issues shaping high-growth media and technology sectors, with a focus on video games, entertainment, crypto, esports, and the unregulated and gambling-adjacent gaming space.

Mr. Hoppe advises developers and publishers on structuring skill-based online games, sweepstakes and promotions, "mystery box," loot box, and "gacha" mechanics, and games involving crypto-based rewards, to reduce the risk of application of federal and state gambling regulations and limit exposure to consumer litigation. A significant part of this work involves preparing reasoned legal opinions on gambling-related regulation, including under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), for submission to payment providers and game platforms, analyzing skill/chance elements, tournament structures, prize distribution, and user participation.

This expertise builds on Mr. Hoppe's broader video game and digital assets practice, through which he advises companies on regulatory, compliance, intellectual property, and user issues arising in online games, including terms of service, EULAs, privacy policies, and FTC and state consumer-protection compliance. He also structures and negotiates game development and publishing agreements and IP licensing for high-profile characters and brands, and has a longstanding practice supporting major Japanese game publishers in their international operations and transactions.

Mr. Hoppe is a frequent speaker on cutting-edge legal topics in the United States and internationally, and is regularly quoted in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Bloomberg Law, ABC News, and CNBC. He is the author of Chapter and Metaverse: Legal Trends and Developments in Web3 and NFTs (2023) and Esports in Court, Crimes in VR, and the 51% Attack (Vision 2020 Press).