LOTTERY INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME
By Duane Burke, CEO*, Public Gaming Research Institute, Inc.
Early in 2005 I announced that Public Gaming Research Institute was establishing the LOTTERY INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME. As a part of its 35-year tradition of recognizing outstanding people in the world lottery industry, the Institute has established this new honor for world lottery professionals. The Lottery Industry Hall of Fame is to recognize and honor those who have done most to make the lottery industry so successful worldwide.
In researching how Halls of Fame for other industries were started, I found that the initial choices of Hall of Fame inductees were made by the initiator of the concept for that field in some cases. So, in that spirit, the 2005 Lottery Industry Hall of Fame inductees were chosen by me based upon 35 years of being associated with the lottery industry. Future Hall of Fame inductees will be chosen by those who have previously been inducted into the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame, starting with the group inducted for 2005.
Two of those inducted for the first year of the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame are, unfortunately, no longer with us. They are, Ed Powers, the “Father of Modern Lotteries in the U.S.”, and Ralph Batch, “The Dean of U.S. Lottery Directors”. These two were the pillars of integrity, good judgment and knowledge upon whom modern lotteries in the U.S. were built and from whom lotteries throughout the world have benefited.
* Doris and Duane Burke retired in July, 2006 and Paul Jason became CEO when he and Susan Jason took over Public Gaming Research Institute at that time.
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