IN MEMORIAM: Vernon Kirk
Vernon Kirk Obituary
Vernon Kirk, 75, passed away December 8th, 2023, surrounded by his family.
Vernon grew up in Milford, married his childhood friend, Jan, and then graduated from the University of Delaware. They settled in Dover, and he started working for the Delaware Lottery, shortly after it was created, in 1975. Ultimately, he was appointed to the position of Director, and became a respected authority in his field. He truly enjoyed his job and the people that he worked with, finally retiring in 2022. After retirement, Vernon spent most of his time with the love of his life, Jan. Most of his other free time was spent golfing, which he thoroughly enjoyed, with friends, Bruce, Jim, and Kevin.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Jan; his daughter, Erin; sister, Marianne Frost (John Dysland); cousins Frank Panczyszyn (Tracy) and Deborah Petrovic Hagar (Alan); sister-in law, Kim Palmateer; and two nieces Heather Wright (Andrew) and Kelly Palmateer.
The family will be receiving friends at Torbert Funeral Home, at 1145 E. Lebanon Road, on Saturday, December 16th, between the hours of 3:00-5:00 PM.
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PGRI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2016
Vernon A. Kirk
During Kirk’s tenure to date as Director, the Lottery has continued its long standing tradition of innovation. Delaware’s sports betting product was expanded from the racinos to include brick and mortar retailers, which were licensed and trained in time to begin selling for the 2012 pro-football season. This expansion was extremely successful with sales up 42% the first year. In January 2013 the Lottery began Keno at select retail locations throughout the state. Keno has proved very popular and interest in the game continues to grow.
In October of 2013 Kirk oversaw the launch of the first in the nation casino style iGaming platform, including peer to peer poker. Then, in February 2014, the Lottery made history again when the Governors of Delaware and Nevada signed the first of its kind Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement. This Agreement allowed for “shared liquidity” of poker players from Delaware and Nevada (poker players from both states sitting at the same virtual table). The next advancement, a mobile application for casino iGaming, was introduced in May 2015. In about the same time frame, limited video lottery at fraternal organizations was authorized and placed under the administrative and regulatory control of the Lottery.
And, traditional lottery products were not overlooked when it came to firsts. In early 2016 the Lottery introduced its first $25 price-point instant game, Quarter Million Large. This game became the first instant game that the Lottery ever re-ordered and was a major contributor to the Lottery’s record FY2016 traditional sales, which were up 17% over FY2015.
The Delaware Lottery now oversees more public gaming products than any other lottery in the country, including traditional lottery products; video lottery at the racinos; sports betting statewide; table games at the racinos; Keno statewide; Las Vegas style iGaming; and, limited video lottery statewide.
Kirk currently serves as Chair of the Video Lottery Game Group, a multi-jurisdictional, progressive video lottery network administered under the auspices of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Member states include DE, WV, RI, OH, and MD. He is also the Chair of Delaware’s Advisory Council on Charitable Gaming and Planning. Kirk has a degree in Political Science/Public Administration from the University of Delaware. ■