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Illinois Lottery Launches Booming Bucks Instant Ticket to Fund STEAM Programs

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Illinois Lottery Launches Booming Bucks Instant Ticket to Fund STEAM Programs

 

The Illinois Lottery is announcing its newest instant ticket, Booming Bucks, which will raise funds for science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) programs in Illinois public schools.

All proceeds from the Booming Bucks instant ticket will support the School STEAM Grant Program, which the Illinois State Board of Education will create and run. This grant program will support STEAM programming for K-12 students in Illinois, specifically in lower income neighborhoods. The grant program will give priority to programs that provide hands-on experience and that focus on encouraging female students to enter STEAM fields.

STEAM programs are designed to build a culture of learning and functional literacy while sharpening students’ individual intellect and critical thinking skills.

“The Illinois Lottery is proud to support the learning and development of K-12 students across the state of Illinois with our new specialty ticket. The STEAM programs funded by Booming Bucks will inspire creativity, collaboration, and innovation to foster a brighter future for our students and our state,” said Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays.

The Illinois Lottery is the first lottery in the country to have an Instant Ticket that specifically supports STEAM programming. Booming Bucks was made possible through generous support from the Illinois General Assembly and the sponsor of Public Act 101-0561, Illinois State Senator Iris Y. Martinez.

“We are grateful to the General Assembly for creating this opportunity to fund STEAM programs in Illinois schools,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “To get more women and people of color into science and engineering, we have to start young. This special lottery ticket will support inclusive, exciting, and hands-on learning for students to jumpstart their exposure to STEAM careers.”

“By creating an additional source, through the Illinois Lottery, to provide more funds for STEAM programs in underserved school districts, residents have a new opportunity to support our students,” said Illinois State Senator Iris Y. Martinez. “I commend this initiative and encourage all who can to test their luck on this new ticket, directly benefiting students in communities of color.”

The Booming Bucks ticket costs $2 and gives players the chance to win up to $20,000. The ticket is on sale now at Illinois Lottery retail locations.

This specialty ticket is one of nine in the Illinois Lottery’s portfolio of instant tickets that support special causes. Since 2006, the Illinois Lottery has directed more than $50 million in funding toward special causes in Illinois through specialty ticket sales.

To learn more about this ticket, visit Specialty Tickets: STEAM.

About the Illinois Lottery:

Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $21 billion (since 1985) to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and to special causes like homelessness prevention, Illinois Veterans services, the fight against breast cancer, MS research, Special Olympics, police memorials and assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to playing in-store, the Illinois Lottery offers online and mobile play for all draw-based Illinois Lottery games at illinoislottery.com. Players must be at least 18 years old.

Industry News

The International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) Announces 2024 International Gaming Summit in Washington, D.C.

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The International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) will hold its 41st International Gaming Summit Monday, May 27 through Thursday, May 30, 2024 at The Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C.

As a premier event that brings together leaders from all global gaming sectors, the Summit will provide operators, suppliers, attorneys, investors, bankers, regulators and other advisor delegates with an unparalleled opportunity to meet and discuss the most important issues facing gaming.

“We are looking forward to holding this year’s 41st Annual International Gaming Summit in Washington, D.C., and are pleased to announce an agenda that includes a specific focus on some of the key sports betting issues the rapidly expanding US market is facing. As part of this focus, we will bring together representatives from global sports betting operators, regulatory agencies, professional sports leagues and other experts to discuss how the industry’s sports betting stakeholders can better work together to ensure a sustainable, responsible sports betting environment that is built on best practices lessons learned from other markets,” John Stawyskyj, President of IAGA, said.

“Beyond our sports betting focus, our diverse agenda includes discussions on other issues of importance including the growing impact of fraud and cyber breaches on regulated operators, a look into the federal and state lobbying process, an update on what’s happening in other gaming markets outside North America, a deep dive into new technologies and how they might impact gaming and more. I look forward to welcoming our delegates to Washington and participating with them in lively discussions about these critical issues and more,” Stawyskyj added.

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Industry News

Marker Trax Appoints John Henderson as Senior Vice President of Operations

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Marker Trax, a leader in cashless payment solutions for the gambling industry, has announced the appointment of John Henderson as its senior vice president of operations.

As the company continues solidifying its cashless payments sector leadership position, Henderson joins the team to play a key role in leading strategic planning efforts, executing new operator and customer initiatives, directing pursuit of key performance indicators, and ensuring overall product and technology quality control. He reports directly to, and will work closely with, Marker Trax President Charlie Skinner.

Henderson is a seasoned, energetic industry veteran who brings to Marker Trax more than four decades of success in delivering technology-based business solutions, leading innovation-forward companies seeking to increase their industry footprints and to solidify their market shares.

“We’re cementing our leadership position in the cashless space, and John is the right leader, at the right time, to help guide us there. He has tactical expertise, and a long track record of success in the IT space. More than that, though, he’s always eager to innovate – which aligns perfectly with our philosophy and goals. We’re lucky to have him on board,” Charlie Skinner, President of Marker Trax, said.

Immediately prior to joining Marker Trax, Henderson served as chief information officer at WorldStrides, a global leader in educational travel services, and helped the company navigate a business and IT transformation program. Henderson has also held client partner roles at Accenture, IBM, and Cognizant, and has served numerous global brands including Choice Hotels, Hilton Hotels, MGM Resorts, Wynn, Disney, and Royal Caribbean.

“Every step of his career, John’s shown natural aptitude for client relationship management and large-scale systems integrations, and a keen, tactical eye for optimizing performance at all levels of an operation. At Marker Trax, we’re increasing our market footprint through continual innovation, and John’s tactical leadership will be of tremendous benefit to reaching our goals,” Skinner said.

Henderson’s addition caps a prolific run of recent accomplishments for the company. It recently unveiled its innovative consumer product, Moolah Play, secured renewed commitment from partner and global payments leader Euronet Worldwide Inc., and is introducing its cashless credit technology into more markets around the country.

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Daily Fantasy Sports

PrizePicks Announces New Chief People Officer and Key Responsible Gaming Hire

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PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, announced the hiring of Renee White as its Chief People Officer (CPO), reporting to Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Adam Wexler. The company also announced the appointment of Phil Sherwood as Senior Director of Responsible Gaming.

Renee White: White will build upon PrizePicks’ incredible people operations team to help lead the company through its next phase of growth and expansion, bringing decades of experience from blue chip organizations. Most recently, White spent nearly two decades at Warner Bros. Discovery in various leadership roles, delivering strategic guidance to senior-level management, demonstrating a deep understanding of complex organizational structure and operations. She last served as the Head of People & Culture for Turner Sports, Bleacher Report and Turner Studios, leading the HR function, guiding long-term strategy along with building a diverse and inclusive culture. White started her career with Turner Broadcasting supporting several divisions within the organization including the Atlanta Braves as their HR Manager. White will be based in Atlanta and serve as a member of PrizePicks’ executive leadership team.

Phil Sherwood: Sherwood will lead the evolution of PrizePicks’ responsible gaming initiatives to continue fostering a safe, responsible and secure daily fantasy sports experience. His unique perspective and strategic vision will help position PrizePicks as the gold standard in responsible gaming within the fantasy sports industry. Sherwood most recently served as Chief Communications Officer at the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health (MACGH) spearheading groundbreaking initiatives such as the first statewide Remote Voluntary Self-Exclusion (VSE) Program and led the creation of a 24/7 LiveChat platform. Prior to MACGH, Sherwood was the President of the Board of Directors for the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) where he drove significant advancement in responsible gaming on a national scale.

“Renee and Phil bring invaluable experience that will accelerate our growth as a company. Renee’s storied career as a people leader and her ties to the Atlanta community cannot be understated; having her join us at such a crucial phase for the company is pivotal. Combined with Phil expanding upon our responsible gaming initiatives, I’m excited to see both play a role in ensuring our business continues to prioritize its two most valued assets: our people and our players,” Adam Wexler, Co-founder & CEO of PrizePicks, said.

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