Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has promoted Malvina Mikaelian and Reenesh Mahabeer to Senior Directors of Engineering.

Mikaelian has been with GLI for 22 years and is based in the Las Vegas lab. Over her history with the company, she has opened GLI’s South Africa and Las Vegas labs and has led the technical group through the most dynamic advances in gaming technology.

“Malvina brings a proven track record of technical leadership, operational excellence, and cross-functional collaboration. In her new role, she will lead strategic engineering initiatives, strengthen organizational execution, and help drive the next phase of innovation and growth for the global land-based division,” Andrea Bossard, Vice President of Engineering at GLI, said.

Mahabeer is based in GLI’s South Africa lab and has been with the company for just under 20 years, working his way from a Senior Engineer to his current position as Senior Director of Engineering. He has led his team through multiple changes in the South African gaming landscape, in both land-based and iGaming.

“Reenesh is a trusted, exceptional leader driving our global digital initiatives and accelerating innovation in emerging technologies. He combines vast market and technical expertise to deliver global consistency and a world-class experience for our clients, while inspiring peers and empowering his team,” Ginnie Hollis, Vice President of Engineering at GLI, said.

IGT announced that Andy Hendrickson has expanded his role to become Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO), subject to receipt of all required regulatory approvals.

Hendrickson previously served as IGT’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) since joining the merged IGT and Everi enterprise in 2025. He is recognized as a transformative technology executive behind industry-disrupting platforms and technologies that blend strategic vision with operational excellence to deliver measurable results at scale.

“I’m very pleased that Andy Hendrickson is expanding his role at IGT to become our Chief Product & Technology Officer, leveraging his vision and expertise across technology, products and solutions to help our global customers deliver industry-leading games to players while enhancing their operations. Andy’s leadership as CPTO ensures tighter alignment between our products and processes, and how we leverage world-class talent across our global game studios to create value,” IGT Incoming CEO Hector Fernandez said.

“I’m excited to expand my global technology leadership role to become IGT Chief Product & Technology Officer. I believe IGT has the ingredients to deliver industry-leading products and solutions to our customers, and with the strength of our game studio talent, disciplined content creation and product management, we are well-positioned for growth and innovation,” IGT CPTO Andy Hendrickson said.

Prior to joining IGT, Hendrickson served as CTO of one of IGT’s global competitors. Earlier in his career, Andy served as CTO of Activision Publishing and led technology for some of the world’s most successful console game franchises, including Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, and Sekiro. At Walt Disney Animation Studios, Andy led technology for blockbusters like Frozen. Earlier leadership roles include Head of Technology at Pacific Data Images/DreamWorks Animation, where he enabled multi-film annual releases including Shrek 2 and Madagascar, and Senior Technology Officer at Industrial Light & Magic, where he elevated visual effects to new creative frontiers.

A named inventor on multiple U.S. patents, Andy has led innovation spanning remote collaboration, stereoscopic depth rendering, and advanced image processing. His work has garnered film credits on landmark titles including Forrest Gump, The Mask, Men in Black, Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph, alongside numerous blockbuster gaming releases.

He holds a BA in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and is an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, SMPTE, and ACM SIGGRAPH.

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has announced new development details related to its charitable gaming facility in Salem, New Hampshire. The company currently operates Casino Salem, located in 19,000 square-feet within The Mall at Rockingham Park. Casino Salem will be redeveloped as Rockingham Grand Casino.

Rockingham Grand Casino will occupy 160,000 square-feet over three floors and will feature 825 historical racing machines, 32 table games, 12 electronic table game seats, a 900-seat live entertainment venue, and several food and beverage concepts, including a center bar and full-service sports bar and restaurant. The Company received approval from the Salem Planning Board for its development plan in December.

Rockingham Grand Casino will be a key tenant of The Mall at Rockingham Park which is the largest shopping mall in New Hampshire. Rockingham Grand Casino is also positioned near Tuscan Village, a prominent mixed-use development offering dining, entertainment, retail shopping, residential areas, hotels, and commercial office space. CDI plans to open Rockingham Grand Casino in mid-2027, with an expected capital investment of $180-200 million.

“We are proud to officially begin our development of Rockingham Grand Casino in partnership with Joe Faro and Sal Lupoli. We look forward to contributing to New Hampshire’s charitable organizations while bringing outstanding entertainment experiences to our guests across the greater Boston region,” said Bill Carstanjen, Chief Executive Officer of CDI.

“We are excited to take the next step alongside our valued partners at Churchill Downs as we begin our journey to bring Rockingham Grand Casino to life. We remain fully committed to strengthening our local economy through the creation of vibrant consumer destinations,” said Joe Faro and Sal Lupoli.