38 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JULY/AUGUST 2026 Gretchen Corbin – cont. from page 10 Corbin’s leadership has had a direct impact on Georgia’s students, families and communities. Since becoming President and CEO of the Georgia Lottery, more than 696,000 students have received HOPE Scholarships and Grants, more than 608,000 4-year-olds have attended Georgia’s Pre-K program, and 690 Georgia Lottery players have become millionaires. Corbin recently served terms as President of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) and Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium. She currently serves as NASPL’s Responsible Gaming Committee Chair, a board member of Women in Lottery Leadership and as a representative to the World Lottery Association’s Vendor Committee. In addition, Gretchen is involved in a number of professional and civic organizations, including Rotary International, Leadership Atlanta, and Leadership Georgia, where she has served as President and Chairman. Prior to her role at the Georgia Lottery, Corbin served as Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), where students received Georgia Lottery-funded HOPE Grant dollars. At TCSG, Corbin oversaw the state’s 22 technical colleges, 135,000 students, 46,000 economic development trainees, 15,000 employees, an $800 million budget, and a host of economic and workforce development programs, including Georgia Quick Start, the nation’s top-ranked workforce training program. Corbin joined TCSG from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), where she served as Commissioner. At DCA, she oversaw 65 programs and was responsible for more than $71 million in investment in Georgia communities including economic development incentives, community development, and affordable housing investments. Prior to DCA, Corbin served 15 years at the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), holding a variety of roles including Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce. Her work within Georgia and throughout the world brought nearly 69,000 jobs and over $13 billion in capital investment to Georgia. Corbin has been recognized the last 13 years as one of Georgia Trend magazine’s “100 Most Influential Georgians.” She was named “Georgian of the Year” by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters; one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Top 20 Women Who Mean Business”; and one of James magazine’s “Most Influential Georgians” for the last eight years. Gretchen, her husband, David, and their two daughters are proud to call Georgia home. Jesús Huerta Almendro – cont. from page 10 His personality helps bring people together and find common ground, even in a very diverse environment. Jesús Huerta Almendro has served as President and CEO of SELAE since 2018. Under his presidency, the Spanish Stateowned company—one of the oldest lottery organisations in the world, with more than 260 years of history—has successfully combined tradition and innovation. The iconic El Gordo Christmas Lottery Draw has reached its highest levels of popularity and sales, continuing to grow year after year and reinforcing its cultural significance in Spain. Jesús has strengthened SELAE’s role in benefiting society by supporting social and cultural initiatives, while reinforcing its commitment to responsible gaming and strategic communication as core pillars of the public company. His leadership reflects a broader vision of lottery as a trusted public institution that delivers both entertainment and social value. He holds a degree in law, a Master’s in Healthcare Management, and a Diploma in People Development and Management. His professional career includes extensive experience in the public sector, with responsibilities across IT, risk management, business operations, and human resources. This multidisciplinary background has informed his balanced and pragmatic leadership style. Jesús believes in reinforcing EL’s role based on three principles: responsible gaming, the relevance of heritage, and the essential contribution lotteries make to society. In his view, collaboration among lotteries is critical to addressing shared challenges and opportunities, including sustainability, equality, and diversity. Jan Karas – cont. from page 10 Since joining the business in 2014, Mr. Karas has played a central role in aligning the Greek and Cypriot operations with Allwyn Group’s broader strategy, translating Group wide vision into strong local execution. With a clear focus on digital, innovation, and retail modernization, he has managed to turn vision and strategy into tangible results and sustainable growth. This is reflected in various projects, which upgrade and reshape Allwyn Hellas’ extensive retail network, advance digitalization, and accelerate online business expansion, to reinforce the company’s long-term customer relevance and competitiveness. Under Mr. Karas’ leadership, this mix of commercial acumen and deep customercentricity has characterized the revamp of the company’s traditional lottery games, the launch of innovative retail and online propositions, and the creation of seamless and engaging player journeys. At the same time, Mr. Karas emphasizes the importance of Responsible Gaming, ESG and giving back to society, firmly believing that these areas are equally important to Allwyn Hellas’ business ambitions. Today, through major social initiatives, the company stands out as a Corporate Social Responsibility champion in Greece and Cyprus, practically demonstrating that growth and social contribution can and should advance together, delivering lasting value for the business, its partners, customers and society as a whole. In 2023, he was elected in European Lotteries’ (EL) Executive Committee, being re-elected in 2025. In this capacity, he also served as Supervisory Chair of the EL Marketing & Communication Working Group, which was recently renamed to the EL Marketing and Communication Community of Experts. In addition, Mr. Karas is also a Policy Group Member of the WLA CSR Committee. In this framework, he advocates a modern vision for the global gaming industry, in which innovation goes hand in hand with responsibility. This includes the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, active cooperation with State and social stakeholders, supporting actions against illegal operators and sports manipulation, and further forging the industry’s visibility and social impact. PGRI LOTTERY INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME FOR 2026
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