Congratulations to the six newest members of the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame

The first induction ceremony for the Mr Farris, Mr Kötter, Mr van’t Veer will be held at EL Congress in Šibenik, Croatia on Tuesday June 6 (4:30 pm in the Main Hall)

The 101 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 2023.

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.

The induction ceremony for the Mr Farris, Mr Kötter, Mr van’t Veer will be held at EL Congress in Šibenik, Croatia on Tuesday June 6 (4:30 pm in the Main Hall); for Mr Cash, Ms Taylor, and Ms Welshons, the ceremony will be held at the NASPL conference in Milwaukee on or about November 1 (specific time and room TBD). We look forward to seeing you all there!

Visit LotteryIndustryHallofFame.com for info about the Hall of Fame and its members

Congratulations to the six newest members of the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame
The 101 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 2023.
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. 

The induction ceremony for the Mr Farris, Mr Kötter, Mr van’t Veer will be held at EL Congress in Šibenik, Croatia on Tuesday June 6 (4:30 pm in the Main Hall); for Mr Cash, Ms Taylor, and Ms Welshons, the ceremony will be held at the NASPL conference in Milwaukee on or about November 1 (specific time and room TBD).  We look forward to seeing you all there!

Visit LotteryIndustryHallofFame.com for info about the Hall of Fame and its members

PGRI Lottery Industry Hall of Fame          

Keith Cash   

Vice President and General Manager, Global Instant Tickets, IGT

Keith’s career in the Lottery industry started more than 30 years ago working nightshift on the manufacturing floor of Dittler Brothers (manufacturer of Instant Scratch-off tickets) and later moved to the same position at Scientific Games.  From this entry level role in manufacturing, Keith consistently advanced through the ranks of Scientific Games.  His career trajectory included positions in Production Control, Customer Service, Project Management, and Account Manager.  Keith was appointed Regional Sales Director in 2004, Vice President of Sales in 2009, and Vice President of Operations in 2012 where he oversaw what was then known as the Cooperative Services Program (CSP).  In 2011, Keith and his wife Fran relocated to Chicago where he led the first year of Scientific Games’ Northstar Lottery operation.

After more than 22 years with Scientific Games, Keith accepted a role with IGT as the Vice President and General Manager of Global Instant Tickets where he now leads a team of more than four hundred.  Keith’s impact at IGT was immediately evident, not only in the core growth of the instant product, but also as they continued to build their customer base with new contract wins.  Keith’s leadership of the IGT Instant Product operation has benefitted the entire industry by broadening the competitive landscape.           

Keith’s role in several Lottery start-ups, as well as his thoughtful stewardship of IGT’s many long-term customers, have contributed to the success of instant product programs around the world.  Keith recently worked closely with Tom Shaheen, the start-up President of the Mississippi Lottery, to lead the IGT instant product implementation flawlessly and with great success. His dedication to the success of each individual customer engages him at all levels of service, from being a member of the “account team” to managing production, logistics, delivery, game design, and all aspects of IGTs Global Instant Ticket Operation. 

In addition to his responsibilities as Vice President and General Manager, Global Instant Tickets, Keith serves as the Executive Sponsor of WIN-Lakeland (Women’s Inclusion Network).  Keith is also a Mentor in the IGT Mentorship Program and serves on the IGT Responsible Gaming Advisory Group.

Keith is a well-known and respected leader in the industry, with a distinctive career path and a vision for contributing to the ongoing success of the Lottery industry and service to good causes. 

Konstantinos Farris   

Group Chief Technology Officer, INTRALOT

Konstantinos is an accomplished and creative C-Level executive with over 30 years in both billion-dollar companies and start-ups, with multifaceted experience and impressive contribution to business formation and scaling up technological and operational developments in the Gaming, Fintech and Blockchain industries. Konstantinos started at INTRALOT in 1997.  He combines business and commercial acumen with in-depth knowledge of the Gaming and the Fintech industries and in business leadership and cutting-edge technology domains such as IoT, Blockchain, Cloud and Agile. He pioneered in wagering systems, such as the Blockchain Gaming Platform of Quanta and the INTRALOT’s flagship LOTOS™ O/S for licensed Lotteries and Betting Operators globally, as well as in modern e-payments such as the innovative e-payments platform of OKTOPAY. He holds a Master’s Degree in Data Mining and Data Bases, UMIST, University of Manchester and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science & Informatics, Technical University of Patras, Greece. 

As Group Chief Technology Officer and member of the EXCOM of INTRALOT from 1997 to 2017, he led the company's technology to serve as the main driver for INTRALOT's global expansion and become one of the three largest gaming technology suppliers worldwide, while also leading the way in shaping technological developments and contributing to the improvement and quality of life in the communities in which it operates. In his tenure and with contribution to the development of INTRALOT’s innovative solutions, the company expanded to 55 countries worldwide, with more than 5,000 highly skilled employees and an annual turnover of approximately 2 billion euros. 2015, he was a finalist for the Manager of the Year award in Greece.  From 2023 he holds the role of Group CTO of INTRALOT and active member of the Board of Directors. 

2017 to 2019: Konstantinos held the role of CEO of Quanta Technologies, an Isle of Man-based blockchain start-up, and led the development and promotion of innovative blockchain-based products, guiding the company to become the first licensed operator Blockchain Lottery in the World. 

2020 to 2022: he also served as COO of OKTOPAY, an Athens-based Fintech, and led corporate governance and product development according to modern and highly regulated standards, and actively participate in the company's business development in many countries in Europe.

Andreas Kötter  

Chief Executive Officer, Westdeutsche Lotterie (WestLotto), Germany

Chair of the Eurojackpot Cooperation

Andreas Kötter joined Germany´s largest lottery operator Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG (WestLotto) in 2013 as member of the Executive Board with a focus on sales, IT and strategy. In 2016 he was appointed as CEO. Since then, his key responsibilities within the management team have changed towards more market-related activities. This includes all divisions of sales and marketing including shop-based distribution and online / mobile sales, products, public affairs / responsible gaming and corporate strategy.

Prior to WestLotto, Andreas worked in the banking sector for more than 25 years. During that period, he worked for a local branch in the savings bank sector as well as in the international Investment Banking area with the focus on managing capital market risks. This expertise is today one important element in terms of understanding the business strategy of illegal operators in the gambling market.

Before joining WestLotto Andreas was division head at NRW.BANK, a public development bank. His main task was to set up various product units and to work out a development strategy. During this time, he obtained a postgraduate diploma in “Advanced Management” with a focus on Transition at ESMT (Berlin). Andreas holds mandates in several institutions, such as ODDSET Sportwetten GmbH as Chairman of the shareholders` meeting, as a member of the “Initiativkreis Ruhr”, one of the leading business alliances in Germany and as member of the regional “Chamber of Commerce and Industry” in Münster.

In April 2016, Andreas was elected as Chairman of the pan-European Lottery EUROJACKPOT, which was founded in 2012 and currently comprises 33 lottery companies from 18 nations throughout Europe. After more than 10 years, EUROJACKPOT is still growing, both in terms of stakes and the number of member lotteries. Andreas initiated several developments in the Eurojackpot Cooperation, including the integration of more countries and most recently the successful Eurojackpot product change with an increased jackpot cap and a second weekly draw on Tuesday.

Andreas has been a member of the WLA Executive Committee since 2017 and has chaired the WLA´s Illegal Lotteries and Betting Committee (ILBC) since its establishment in 2019. The ILBC is dedicated to the task of reviewing the tools and resources available to help member lotteries uphold the principle of territorial integrity with stakeholders in each region.

Most recently, in October 2022, Andreas was elected Senior Vice President of the WLA. Andreas Kötter is married and has two adult children.

Sarah M. Taylor  

Executive Director, Hoosier Lottery (Indiana, USA)

President, North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries (NASPL)

An accomplished leader with more than 25 years of public service experience, Sarah M. Taylor is the Executive Director of the Hoosier Lottery. Since 2013, Sarah has earned the appointment of two successive Indiana governors, leading the Hoosier Lottery through years of exponential growth for the benefit of many important causes throughout the Hoosier state.

Her reputation among her colleagues has been marked by her active participation in several lottery industry organizations. Sarah currently serves as president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). She also serves on NASPL’s Retail Modernization Committee and Vendor Relations Committee. Prior to serving as president, she was 1^st & 2nd vice president, treasurer, secretary, and Region III Chair. During her time at the helm of NASPL, Sarah has led the effort to update various administrative strategic plans in the areas of business, communications, government relations and responsible gaming/sustainability.

She is immediate past president of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which is comprised of 38 U.S. lotteries that oversee Powerball. She serves as chair of MUSL’s Mega Millions Game Group, Chair of MUSL’s Development Committee, and a member of the International Working Group and member of Marketing and Promotions Committee.  She previously served as Vice President, Secretary, and Chair of the Finance Committee.  In addition, she has served as Chair of MUSL’s Audit Committee.

During her two-year stint as MUSL president, Sarah worked with executive leadership on an updated strategic plan, adding a third draw day for Powerball, launched a Powerball pilot in Australia and co-founded the National Games Strategy Group.

In addition to her MUSL and NASPL activities, she serves as Chair of the World Lottery Association (WLA) Corporate and Social Responsibility Committee.   

Prior to her lottery industry experience, Sarah held various positions in Indiana city and county government, including eight years as the elected Clerk of the Courts for Marion County (Indianapolis) and five years as a cabinet member for the Mayor of Indianapolis.

Taylor earned her bachelor's degree from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs where she sits on the Distinguished Alumni Council.  A lifelong learner, Sarah has earned a Certificate in Public Management from Ball State University.

Arjan van’t Veer  

Secretary General, European Lottery Association (EL)

Appointed on 1 March 2017, Dr Arjan van ‘t Veer MSc has served as the Secretary General of the European Lotteries and Toto Association (EL) for six years. He succeeded Bernadette Lobjois after her retirement. Arjan was a member of the EL Executive Committee from 2013 until his appointment as Secretary General. He chaired the Legal Working group and the Responsible Gaming/CSR Working Group. He represented the Nederlandse Staatsloterij (The Netherlands), where he was the director of Corporate Affairs responsible for legal & regulatory affairs, public affairs and sponsoring. Arjan joined Nederlandse Staatsloterij in 1998 after he finished his doctorate on the regulation of gambling in the Netherlands at the Law School of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He got his law degree in 1992 at the same university after which he started his PhD research in the field of lotteries and gambling regulation. He played a leading role in the merger between Nederlandse Staatsloterij and De Lotto. He left the merged company (Nederlandse Loterij) to become the EL Secretary General.

Arjan published several major publications aside from his thesis. He was asked by the Dutch government in 1996 to write a report on the possibilities of gambling via the internet. Arjan presented on several topics during all major gambling events. He is currently the chairman of the European Association for the Study of Gambling. On behalf of EL he is an observer to the ULIS Executive Committee. 

As EL Secretary General, Arjan professionalised the Association and the EL Team, introduced a Corporate University and, during the Covid pandemic, an E-learning platform. He built further on the existing seminars with the introduction of a successful EL Instant Games seminar and a webinar on Draw related issues. Under his guidance the EL statutory seat is moved from Switzerland to Belgium, enlarging the advocacy role of the associations within the European institutions. Arjan strongly supported the initiative to make EL’s Responsible Gaming Certification mandatory. He is a driving force behind the cooperation between EL and WLA as well as EL and other regional associations such as NASPL and ALA.

In addition to the current EL Executive Committee members, Arjan has been inspired by the opportunity to work together with several of the industry leaders such as Tjeerd Veenstra, Philippe Vlaemminck, Ray Bates, Guy Simonis, Rebecca Paul, David Gale, Luca Esposito.

Jennifer Welshons    

Chief Marketing Officer, Scientific Games

Jennifer Welshons’ innovative marketing vision was evident 23 years ago when she joined Scientific Games. Today, she is the company’s Chief Marketing Officer and a member of the Executive Leadership Team.

Jennifer has provided decades of committed leadership across the global lottery industry in the areas of analytics, research, products, services, channels, and game categories. Her leadership, focus and integrity are embedded in Scientific Games’ analytical culture – the ‘science’ inside Scientific Games. Her deep understanding of consumers, culled from thousands of research projects and sales analyses, has provided the industry with outstanding games and game portfolio performance.

As CMO, Jennifer is responsible for global marketing and communications, including strategic product marketing, analytics and insights, business intelligence, company branding, advertising, customer and winner events, and global proposals – a critical component in the industry’s sales cycle. With executive oversight of the company’s global RFP process and bid responses, she synthesizes collaboration across the organization, integrating proposals, marketing and communications activities to align with Scientific Games’ business strategy and help drive sales performance and growth for the 130 lotteries the company serves worldwide.

Most recently, Jennifer was instrumental in the company’s sale to Brookfield Business Partners and helped create and launch Scientific Games’ new branding and vision, mission and values, as well as ‘The Science Inside’ analytics initiative to raise visibility for the importance of data-based product marketing and innovation decisions to drive lottery performance.

Jennifer helped establish many of the analytical tools, methods, and metrics used across the industry today. Her innovation in market research and consumer insights has established Scientific Games as the global leader in lottery analytics and insights. Jennifer’s teams have pioneered breakthrough player research studies and developed unique analytics platforms to provide insights on player motivations and behavior, game performance, prize structure, payout, theme, play action and more. These insights are translated into actionable marketing plans to help lotteries generate maximum retail and digital sales.

As a member of Scientific Games’ Executive Leadership Team, Jennifer takes part in all major business operational and organizational decision-making and is involved in corporate social responsibility, including responsible gaming. Her impact on the culture of intellectual curiosity and integrity at Scientific Games has helped create a generation of young leaders committed to responsible growth. She is active in Women’s Initiative in Lottery Leadership and serves as a mentor to local students through Tech Alpharetta’s Women's Forum STEAM Mentoring program.  

Jennifer holds a Master of Arts in Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Florida. She is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Columbia University in New York City.