Congratulations to the newest members of the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame
The 88 members of the PGRI Lottery Industry Hall of Fame have voted for and elected six industry leaders to be inducted into the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame for 2020.
The Lottery Industry Hall of Fame was founded in 2005 as a means of honoring those who have done the most to promote excellence and integrity in our industry and make the world lottery industry the great success. The recipients of this award are all a credit to that ideal and are joining a select and distinguished group of world lottery industry professionals.
Induction Ceremony
The six Hall of Fame inductees will be honored in a virtual ceremony at 4:00 pm October 14, 2020 - Central Time U.S.
please scroll down to read all of the biographies.
Scott Gunn
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Scott Gunn
Senior Vice President, Corporate Public Affairs, IGT With a strong foundation in lottery operations and more than 25 years of lottery experience, Scott Gunn, Senior Vice President, Corporate Public Affairs at IGT has spent most of his career collaborating with public policy makers and customers alike to support lottery innovation and best practices. He understands that leveraging new ideas ensures lotteries across the globe continue to generate revenue for good causes. After a stint supporting the Texas and California Lotteries, Scott served as the lead in lottery operations for IGT predecessor GTECH in the Western Region of the United States, so he understands the myriad of day-to-day issues for lotteries and lottery leadership. He grew up in the field where keeping lottery networks operating, customers engaged and ensuring integrity are the primary concerns. Since joining GTECH in 1994, he has held positions in sales, business development, government relations and global operations. While leading GTECH California operations, Scott managed a successful system conversion, supported major retail expansion, assisted in the launch of Mega Millions and in 2010 helped successfully inject prize payout flexibility into the law by shepherding a key piece of legislation over the finish line. As a result, annual lottery revenues supporting education in California have increased dramatically since its enactment. Bringing people together in our industry is one of Scott’s greatest strengths and helps ensure the lottery industry speaks as one. A leading voice in shaping the North American State and Provincial Lottery’s government relations platform, Scott has helped gain consensus on global issues like responsible gaming, Internet wagering, daily fantasy sports. sports betting and gaming expansion – issues and innovations shaping the future of the lottery industry. As a fierce advocate for lotteries in capitols around the globe, Scott can synthesize and simplify complex issues. His knack for reading the political climate in a state or a country allows him to push for new lottery sales channels and products with decision makers through both legislation and regulation. While navigating the unique challenges in various countries around the globe, he is always mindful to build coalitions and defend against adversaries. Scott strives to achieve the balance between responsible gaming and leveraging opportunity so lotteries can offer cutting-edge new lottery products in order to grow and support their important beneficiaries. Throughout his career, Scott has served as a mentor to and champion for his colleagues and customers. Currently within IGT, Scott serves on the Executive Diversity and Inclusion Council, the Government Affairs Committee, is Co-executive sponsor of WIN with IGT and as the Chairman of IGT’s Political Action Committee. His leadership within the lottery industry and in the public policy arena have left an indelible stamp on the global lottery industry. |
Pat McHugh
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Pat McHugh
Executive Vice President, Lottery Group Chief Executive, Scientific Games Pat McHugh has served the global lottery industry since 1992. In his current role of CEO of Scientific Games Lottery Group, he leverages his wide-ranging experience as an advocate for industry modernization and innovation to support lottery missions. One of Pat’s core values is collaboration. He recognizes to succeed, teams must work well together, products must work across platforms and markets, and suppliers must coordinate to provide integrated experiences for lotteries and their consumers. He has spent his extensive career bringing together divergent teams, products, and systems to create new solutions. Pat began his industry career in 1992 managing the field roll out for the launch of the Texas Lottery, followed by the Georgia Lottery start-up. Then quickly moved into years of globally managing many of the industry’s most complex lottery start-ups and conversions, before advancing into progressive levels of technical and business operations, product innovation, business development, and strategic planning. Pat led many strategic industry first-to-market initiatives, including expanded distribution channels, cashless payments, lottery sports betting, new network technologies, iLottery and other digital lottery platforms. Pat has served lotteries in markets around the world directing dozens of complex gaming systems deployments, product launches, operations, new business initiatives, and strategic product development. He has been a leading and vocal industry advocate for sustaining the future of the industry’s beneficiary funding through convergence of traditional and digital lottery products and technology, distribution channel expansion, innovative content, data analytics, and industry leading partnering services to add value and growth for his lottery customers. Under his leadership, Scientific Games Lottery Systems evolved from a transaction-processing focused business to a technology leader in integrated value-add products and services to maximize lottery proceeds. In his current role, he has continued to accelerate integrated solutions that create unique value across product lines. Pat is the Group Chief Executive responsible for all of Scientific Games’ global lottery business, including instant products, retail and digital systems, lottery sports betting, game content, and associated services. |
Gordon Medenica
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Gordon Medenica
Director, Maryland Lottery and Gaming Gordon Medenica is a lottery industry veteran, having managed lotteries in New York, New Jersey and Maryland, as well as being active in industry-wide activities. He began his career as the Director of the New York Lottery, the country’s largest, in 2007. During his time in New York, the lottery set all-time revenue records every year. His proudest accomplishments include the initiative to the federal Department of Justice (DoJ) to rescind its interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act, an action that led to the legalization of online lotteries in 2011. Medenica and his team also created the New York Lottery Black instant ticket, which became the all-time best-selling ticket at its price point, with successful imitators world-wide. With a focus on advertising, the lottery also won multiple industry Batchy awards, culminating in the World Lottery Association (WLA) Best of the Best award in 2012. Medenica also oversaw New York’s nine casinos and managed the successful selection process for the operator at New York City’s Aqueduct racetrack, which has become one of the world’s largest casinos. After New York, Medenica was the transitional CEO of the Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group, which won the contract to manage sales, marketing and related functions for the New Jersey Lottery. He remains the only director to have managed lotteries from both the public and private sides. Also, he worked with the New Jersey and New York Directors to create and launch the Cash4Life multistate game. Next, Medenica joined the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency as Director in June 2015. By focusing his team on instant ticket sales, he has consistently set revenue and profit records. He also oversees Maryland’s casinos, opening its largest, MGM National Harbor, in 2016. His work for the lottery industry includes serving as President of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) in 2012; he currently serves on the NASPL Executive Committee as Region 1 Director. He is also the Lead Director of the Mega Millions consortium and the Lead Director of the Cash4Life consortium. Internationally, Medenica serves on the WLA’s Sports Betting Integrity Committee. Before coming to the lottery industry, Medenica had been a longtime executive and member of the Management Committee of The New York Times Company. More recently, he was the Executive Vice President of Philadelphia Media Holdings, LLC, an owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. Prior to that, Medenica served as an advisor to the Blackstone Group on newspaper acquisitions, and as the President and CEO of DornaUSA, a sports marketing company. Earlier, Medenica was a Senior Analyst at the Marriott Corporation. Medenica earned his A.B. from Harvard College, where he majored in government, and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. |
John Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Pollard Banknote Limited |
John Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Pollard Banknote Limited
With more than three decades of lottery leadership, John Pollard has helped steer Pollard Banknote from its beginnings in the Canadian lottery industry in the 1980s to become the world class lottery partner that it is today. John has been integral to Pollard Banknote’s ongoing evolution and growth, ensuring the company is constantly adapting to meet new challenges. As Co-Chief Executive Officer, he has worked alongside his brothers for many years, first with Gordon and now Doug. John's role focuses on the financial and operational aspects of Pollard Banknote. Together with his brothers, he oversees all strategic and general management of Pollard Banknote and its subsidiaries. With a clear vision for the future, he has fostered a long-standing history of innovation in print products and championed the company’s movement into the digital space, particularly the establishment of NeoPollard Interactive, the leading provider of iLottery solutions in North America. John guided Pollard Banknote’s strategic investment in the company’s core business, as well as in the acquisition of new subsidiary companies, to augment Pollard Banknote’s position as a proven lottery partner and innovator. As Co-CEO, John continues to drive the company’s ongoing expansion into new business sectors within the lottery and charitable gaming industries. John’s enthusiasm and dedication keep Pollard Banknote top of mind as a partner in the lottery sector. John has led numerous initiatives to help lotteries attract new players, expand lottery products, extend the retail network, and thereby increase revenue for good causes. He oversaw recent acquisitions of Diamond Game, International Gamco, Schafer Systems, Fastrak Retail, and mkodo; subsidiaries that provide opportunities for lotteries to reach new markets and grow the player base. John is also fiercely committed to the company’s employees and the communities they live and work in. When John began at Pollard Banknote in 1986, the company had 57 employees, today Pollard Banknote’s team has grown to nearly 2000 – almost 200 of which are members of Pollard Banknote’s 25 Year Club – a testament to John’s dedication to staff company-wide. Prior to joining Pollard Banknote, John worked as a Chartered Professional Accountant with Deloitte. |
Nigel Railton
Chief Executive Officer, Camelot UK Senior Vice President, World Lottery Association (WLA) |
Nigel Railton
Chief Executive Officer, Camelot UK Senior Vice President, World Lottery Association (WLA) Camelot UK, one of the world's most successful lotteries, was established in 1994. Nigel Railton was appointed to lead Camelot UK in 2017. Nigel was previously CEO of Camelot Global, which runs a growing portfolio of consultancy and private management contracts for which it has earned an industry-leading reputation. During his time at Camelot Global, Nigel was integral in securing the 10-year private management agreement to run the Illinois Lottery and worked very closely with Camelot's shareholder, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), in the successful bid to operate the Irish National Lottery. This was in addition to negotiating a five-year contract to work with the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery to help it improve its lottery sales, as well as launching a new online gaming platform for Swiss lottery operator Loterie Romande. Nigel joined Camelot in 1998 as Financial Controller and became Finance Director in 2003, later joining Camelot's Board in January 2006. He was also on the board of Camelot's venture in South Africa from 2003 to 2005, which saw the company establish and support the successful operation of the inaugural South African National Lottery. Having played a key role in Camelot's successful bid to operate the UK National Lottery in the third licence period, Nigel became Finance and Operations Director in 2007, assuming overall responsibility for the successful implementation of Camelot's transition commitments. This saw Camelot complete the largest and fastest lottery upgrade of its kind in the world – with an entirely new network of touch-screen terminals and cutting-edge digital media screens; an upgraded gaming system via a brand new communications network; and a new, next-generation National Lottery website, with a re-designed interface and host of new functions. In 2008, working alongside then Group CEO Dianne Thompson, Nigel took responsibility for developing Camelot's overall strategy for both the UK and international markets, and drove the sale of Camelot to OTPP in 2010. He then became Group CFO and Strategy Director, securing a four-year extension to Camelot's current licence, which now runs until 2023. Nigel has also served the World Lottery Association, presently in the capacity of Senior Vice President. |
Bishop Woosley,
Lottery Industry Consultant and former Director, Arkansas Lottery Commission |
Bishop Woosley,
Lottery Industry Consultant and former Director, Arkansas Lottery Commission Bishop Woosley's initial exposure to the lottery industry began when he served as Assistant Attorney general in Arkansas and aided in the drafting of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Act in the 2009 legislative session. Bishop officially joined the Arkansas Lottery at its inception in July 2009 as Director of Procurement. That same year he assumed the role of Chief Legal Counsel, a position he held until February 2012. In February 2012 he was named Director of the Lottery. Upon assuming the role of Director, Bishop was tasked with re-organizing and revitalizing a lottery that was faced with declining sales. As a result of his efforts to streamline the day-to-day operations and renegotiate lottery vendor contracts, lottery net proceeds increased by over 30%. The Arkansas lottery has enjoyed three consecutive record sales years and its highest ever amount raised for scholarships under his guidance. In addition to rejuvenating the lottery, Bishop was also very active in the growth of the U.S. Lottery Industry. Over the last several years he has held numerous positions within the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), serving as Legal Committee Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, First Vice-President, and President. During this same period, he also served as Legal Committee Chair, Mega Millions Group Chair, and Secretary for the Multi-state Lottery Association (MUSL). Bishop's leadership and contributions to both organizations has helped shape the future of the industry. In 2016, Bishop was selected to serve as MUSL Legal Chair. Less than 4 months after being appointed, a MUSL employee was arrested for leading one of the largest scandals in lottery history. Over the next three years as Chair of the MUSL legal committee, Bishop shepherded the organization through a litany of legal issues and two multi-million dollar class action lawsuits. As a result of his work, MUSL was able to resolve the class action quietly through mediation as opposed to a messy public jury trial for millions less than was originally requested. Due to the resignation of the preceding NASPL President, Bishop has served one of the longest terms as NASPL President ever. During his tenure, the industry was shaken by the reinterpretation of the 2011 Wire Act opinion by the Department of Justice and the Covid-19 pandemic. Bishop has worked tirelessly to educate federal office holders of the potential danger of the reinterpretation and led industry advocacy efforts in Washington DC to that end. Bishop also tackled industry issues that were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. He led the effort to provide educational resources to states to aid in the response to the impact of the pandemic on the industry. He also worked with NASPL staff to help refocus industry events and educational efforts when the pandemic forced cancellation of all industry events in 2020. |