Karen Wells has been an attorney since 1994 and has significant experience in conducting complex investigations, gaming law, regulatory compliance, and has both trial and adjudicatory hearings experience.  She has served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, an Assistant Attorney General at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, the Undersecretary of Law Enforcement at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, as well as the Director of the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau and then the Executive Director at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Ms. Wells’ areas of practice include independent investigations for businesses, government entities, and school districts, gaming law, regulatory compliance, licensure and professional discipline matters, criminal and civil trials, and outside counsel work.

Ms. Wells’ practice is built on more than two decades of experience in government service, including at the highest level of agency management.  In her time at the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, she served in the Cambridge and Framingham District Courts where she prosecuted all types of felonies and misdemeanors as well as juvenile matters.  She served as a District Court Supervisor before being promoted to the Superior Court Special Investigations Unit where she handled white collar, narcotics and organized crime investigations and prosecutions.  She later served as the Deputy Director of District Courts.

Ms. Wells also continued to investigate and prosecute high-level narcotics and organized crime cases at the Special Investigations and Narcotics Unit at the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, including long-term, complex wiretap investigations resulting in multi-defendant prosecutions and forfeiture seizures.

In 2008, Ms. Wells served as the Senior Counsel for Law Enforcement and Fire Services at the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, and then in 2011, was appointed by Governor Patrick as the Undersecretary of Law Enforcement.  In that capacity she oversaw the functions and administration of the Massachusetts State Police, the Department of Public Safety, the Municipal Police Training Committee, and the Office of Grants and Research.  Her responsibilities included critical review of policies and programs, oversight of $275M in budgetary and financial matters, and strategic leadership for those state agencies.  She regularly worked with members of federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety stakeholders to build consensus on policy and operational matters.

In 2013, Wells was named the first Director of the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission after the legalization of casino gaming in Massachusetts. She was responsible for administering and enforcing the provisions in the Expanded Gaming Act regarding the integrity of casino operations and oversaw all related activities including licensing, compliance, investigations, and on-site enforcement of regulations and internal controls. She managed investigations of complex international corporate entities, local businesses, corporate executives, and all levels of casino employees. She also personally led the high-profile investigation into the corporate handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by an international casino corporation’s CEO and Chairman.

In 2020, Wells was named the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. She was responsible for regulatory oversight of the three Massachusetts casinos and internal operations of the agency. Beginning in August of 2022, she also directed the implementation of newly enacted sports wagering law, including the promulgation of regulations, licensing of sports wagering operators, and development of agency infrastructure to manage ongoing regulatory responsibilities.

In her executive leadership roles, Ms. Wells gained extensive experience in media relations as well as compliance with the Massachusetts public records law and the Massachusetts open meeting law.