10 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JULY/AUGUST 2026 Continued on page 38 Continued on page 39 Continued on page 39 Continued on page 39 Continued on page 38 Continued on page 38 Congratulations to the six newest members of the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame The 111 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 2026. 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. Visit the “Awards” section of PublicGaming.com to read more about the Hall of Fame. There will be two induction Ceremonies. The ceremony to induct the US Honorees (Gretchen Corbin, Harold Mays, and Tom Seaver) will be held at the NASPL Orlando Conference and Trade Show, Thursday September 24, 2026, from 4:45- 5:15pm in the Coral B Ballroom, Caribe Royale Orlando Florida. The ceremony to induct the International Honorees (Jesús Huerta Almendro, Jan Karas, and Stéphane Pallez) will be held at World Lottery Summit Sydney Conference and Trade Show. Wednesday November 11, 2026 from 5:00 to 5:45 pm (17:00 – 17:45) in the Cockle Bay Room 1 Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia Visit LotteryIndustryHallofFame.com for info about the Hall of Fame and its members Stéphane Pallez is widely regarded as one of the most influential leaders in the global lottery and gaming industry, having played a central role in shaping the evolution of state-authorized operators in an increasingly digital and competitive environment. As Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of La Française des Jeux (now FDJ UNITED) since November 2014, she has led over a decade of transformation that has positioned the Group among Europe's leading gaming operators. Her tenure has been defined by a series of landmark achievements. She successfully led the company's privatization and stock market listing in 2019, one of the largest IPOs in Europe that year, establishing a new governance Jesús leads SELAE, one of the largest lotteries in Europe, and globally, including the iconic lottery game El Gordo, widely recognised as a symbol of the lottery sector. He is a highly valued member of the EL community: committed, thoughtful, balanced, and hardworking. As EL’s ExCom member and its representative on the WLA Executive Committee, he plays an important role in ensuring alignment across the global lottery community. Tom began his lottery career in 1985 as the first Instant Game Product Manager for the Missouri Lottery, where he played a key role on the record-setting start-up team. He expanded his role when he joined the Virginia Lottery as Advertising and Marketing Manager, again contributing to the successful launch of a new U.S. lottery. In these formative roles, Tom established himself as a leader in product development, marketing, and research, building the foundation for a career that would influence how lotteries grow and engage players. From 2001 to 2018, Tom’s influence expanded globally as he worked across five continents as a consultant to Scientific Games and numerous advertising agency clients. Jan Karas is the Chairman and CEO of Allwyn Hellas (formerly OPAP), the leading lottery and gaming operator in Greece and Cyprus and a key operating company within Allwyn, which is the second largest listed gaming company in the world, with leading market positions across Europe and North America. During his tenure at the company’s helm, he has led several transformative initiatives – most notably, the historic Allwyn-OPAP business combination and OPAP’s rebranding to Allwyn Hellas in January 2026. After spending six years as the Illinois Lottery’s Chief of Operations and Technology, Harold Mays was appointed to serve as Director in January 2019 by Governor Pritzker, making him one of the longest serving directors in Illinois Lottery history. His varied 41-year career includes work in the power industry, telecommunications, information technology and project management, having worked for Motorola, ComEd, and the Illinois Bureau of Communications and Computer Services. During his 13 years at the Illinois Lottery, Harold has helped orchestrate significant and positive changes to drive responsible incremental growth and increase operational efficiency, having closed FY2025 with $3.84 billion in sales and $796 million in proceeds. Gretchen Corbin became President and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corporation starting January 1, 2018. As President and CEO of the Georgia Lottery, Corbin’s business goal is to fulfill the Corporation’s mission toresponsibly maximize revenues for HOPE and Pre-K, ensuring that Georgia’s students continue to have access to these important educational programs. Under Corbin’s leadership, Georgia Lottery sales have experienced unprecedented growth. In FY25, Georgia Lottery gross sales reached $6.02 billion. STÉPHANE PALLEZ Chairwoman and Chief Exe. Officer, FDJ UNITED, France JESÚS HUERTA ALMENDRO President & CEO of SELAE (Sociedad Estatal Loterías y Apuestas del Estado, S.M.E., S.A.), Spain TOM SEAVER Senior Director, Colorado Lottery Scientific Games JAN KARAS Chairman and CEO, Allwyn Hellas HAROLD MAYS Director, Illinois Lottery GRETCHEN CORBIN President and CEO, Georgia Lottery Corporation PGRI LOTTERY INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME PGRI LOTTERY INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME
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