Gambling in the USA
Virginia Casino Bill Set to Go Before Full Senate for First Time
The Virginia casino gambling bill is set to go before the full Virginia State Senate for the first time. A committee voted to drastically increase the proposed tax on casino gaming revenues and the license fee for casino operators in reporting out a bill to allow casinos by referendum in the state.
Senator Louise Lucas’s SB 36 was reported out of the Senate Finance and Appropriations committee, which voted 14–2 to approve a substitute version of that bill, with a few changes.
The revised version would impose a 27% tax on the first $150 million in casino gaming revenue, a 31% tax on revenues between $150 million and $300 million and 40% on revenues above $300 million, Bristol Herald Courier reports. The previous bill would impose rates of 15%, 20% and 28%, respectively.
The latest version of the bill also proposes increasing the local share of tax revenues to 9% on the first $150 million in gaming revenues, 10% from revenues between $150 million and $300 million and 11% from revenues above $300 million. The previous version of the bill specified 5%, 6% and 7%, respectively.
The Bristol Resort and Casino group issued a statement in response to the vote. “We are still reviewing the specific changes to the bill and this is a long process before session ends. That being said, we are pleased to have the legislation that specifically includes the five original cities pass yet another committee and we look forward to the upcoming floor vote,” according to the statement.
Sen. Lucas appeared surprised by some of the changes. “The [tax] rate is causing the most concern. Is there any way we can work out these differences in conference?”
“I am sure the House and the Senate are going to have different versions so it will go to conference. I don’t know what the outcome would be, but it [rates] would certainly be on the table,” Committee Chairwoman Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, said.
There were a total of 10 changes to the casino bill, including one that would require that all slot machines in casinos be connected to a central gaming system and another to allow the Colonial Downs Group to have up to 2500 additional historic horse racing games in its locations.
AI
Scientific Games Appoints Ovie Doro as SVP of Data, Analytics & AI
Scientific Games today named Ovie Doro as Senior Vice President of Data, Analytics & AI, a strategic hire that accelerates the company’s investment in data science, machine learning and AI-driven insights for its global lottery business. Doro will lead the expansion of SG Analytics, Scientific Games’ enterprise analytics group, to deliver stronger product performance, personalized player experiences and measurable ROI for lottery customers across retail and digital channels.
Driving analytics-led growth for lotteries
Scientific Games says the appointment marks a step-change in how it uses data and AI to inform lottery game development, optimize player engagement and support lottery beneficiaries. As head of SG Analytics, Doro will focus on turning large volumes of market and player data into actionable intelligence for product, sales and operations teams.
“Advanced analytics is critical to how Scientific Games supports our lottery customers and drives innovation and performance for sustainable growth,” said Pat McHugh, CEO of Scientific Games. “Doro brings deep experience understanding consumer behavior and building scalable analytics and data science capabilities at global organizations, and we’re excited to have him lead this mission-critical work.”
What Doro will lead at SG Analytics
Doro’s remit will include expanding capabilities in:
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Market and channel intelligence to identify growth opportunities across regions and channels
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ROI and growth modeling to quantify the value of product and marketing investments
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Data engineering and standardized reporting to speed insights to decision-makers
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Data science, machine learning and experimentation for personalization and cross-channel optimization
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Visualization and business intelligence to make analytics accessible to commercial teams
These priorities are designed to better connect retail and digital play, enable experimentation-driven product improvements, and provide lotteries with measurable results that support their beneficiary missions.
Proven leader in enterprise analytics and ML
Doro brings more than a decade of experience building enterprise analytics and machine learning platforms for major consumer and e-commerce companies. Most recently he served as Senior Global Director of Data Science & Machine Learning Engineering at AB InBev, where he led the AI strategy for the company’s global B2B e-commerce platform. His prior leadership roles at Walmart and Jet.com focused on customer analytics, personalization, experimentation platforms and lifecycle modeling—translating applied research into production-grade analytics systems that drive growth and retention.
“Doro’s appointment strengthens our ability to translate data into action and value for our customers,” said Carrie Galvin, Chief Transformation & Strategy Officer at Scientific Games. “His experience building analytics capabilities that deliver real-world business outcomes will help us better serve lotteries through smarter products and performance insights.”
Background and reporting
Doro holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. At Scientific Games, he will report to Carrie Galvin and collaborate closely with leaders across product, technology, sales and operations.
With this hire, Scientific Games positions SG Analytics to accelerate AI-driven product development, deepen personalization, and deliver clearer ROI for lotteries worldwide—strengthening the company’s role as a data-first partner to the lottery industry.
© 2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Gambling in the USA
Scientific Games Announces Ovie Doro as Senior Vice President of Data, Analytics & AI
Scientific Games has named Ovie Doro (“Doro”) as Senior Vice President of Data, Analytics & AI, strengthening the company’s investment in advanced analytics, data science and AI-driven insights to support growth and innovation across its global lottery business.

Doro will lead the expansion of the SG Analytics group, Scientific Games’ enterprise analytics practice that combines deep expertise with business intelligence tools, data and insights to support decision-making and increased performance of the company’s lottery products and services. His appointment advances the company’s industry-leading use of data and AI to help guide development of lottery games and technologies, enhance player experiences and deliver measurable, ROI-driven value for lottery customers—helping optimize performance in support of their beneficiary missions—across retail and digital channels.
“Advanced analytics is critical to how Scientific Games supports our lottery customers and drives innovation and performance for sustainable growth,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer of Scientific Games. “Doro brings deep experience understanding consumer behavior and building scalable analytics and data science capabilities at global organizations, and we’re excited to have him lead this mission-critical work.”
Doro has more than a decade of experience in architecting and scaling enterprise analytics and machine learning platforms across global consumer and e-commerce organizations. Most recently, he served as Senior Global Director of Data Science & Machine Learning Engineering at AB InBev, where he pioneered the AI strategy for the company’s global B2B e-commerce platform, transforming it into an AI-enabled ecosystem that drove revenue growth and partner value across multiple international markets.
Doro has held senior data science leadership roles at Walmart and Jet.com, where he led teams responsible for customer analytics, experimentation platforms, personalization and lifecycle modeling. His work focused on translating applied research into production-grade analytics and machine learning systems that supported growth, retention and omnichannel engagement.
At Scientific Games, Doro will advance SG Analytics by translating data into action across market and channel intelligence, competitive and industry insights, ROI and growth modeling, data engineering, data science and machine learning, supported by standardized reporting and visualization. He will also play a central role in enabling analytics-driven product growth, personalization, experimentation and cross-channel optimization that connects retail and digital play.
Doro will report to Carrie Galvin, Chief Transformation & Strategy Officer of Scientific Games, and will work closely with leaders across product, technology, sales and operations organizations.
“Doro’s appointment strengthens our ability to translate data into action and value for our customers,” said Galvin. “His experience building analytics capabilities that deliver real-world business outcomes will help us better serve lotteries through smarter products and performance insights.”
Doro holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
© 2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Gambling in the USA
IGT Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Wheel of Fortune Slots
IGT, a global gaming leader, announced the 30th anniversary of the wildly popular Wheel of Fortune Slots game. Famous for awarding players $1 million-plus life-changing jackpots and the familiar “WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE!” chant that can be heard across a casino floor, Wheel of Fortune Slots is credited for changing the casino experience as the gaming industry’s first licensed slots game.
To recognize this monumental milestone, IGT kicked off a multi-month celebration that includes new product launches, coast-to-coast in-casino celebrations, contests run via Instagram and Facebook, slots influencer collaborations, a new creative campaign, a week of integrations to be featured on “Wheel of Fortune,” and more.
“For three decades, IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Slots have captivated slots players around the world and earned a reputation for delivering world-class entertainment combined with huge jackpots in casinos and online. Through our relationship with Sony Pictures Television and Carnival Cruise Line, IGT created a robust campaign for 2026 that honors the legacy of Wheel of Fortune Slots, while rewarding players and delivering value to our customers worldwide,” said Hector Fernandez, Incoming CEO of IGT.
A highly anticipated element of the campaign is IGT’s “Spin and Sail Cruise”. Presented in partnership with Carnival Cruise Line, IGT’s Spin and Sail Cruise empowers select casinos across the US to reward players with eight-day cruises aboard the Carnival Jubilee, where travelers will compete in a slot tournament with a $1 million prize pool. Players also have the chance to win a seat aboard the November Spin and Sail Cruise via contests run on the IGT Jackpots Facebook and IGT Gaming North America Instagram pages.
“Our longstanding relationship with IGT has been a remarkable success, and we’re thrilled to continue building on that momentum as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Slots. Much like our Wheel of Fortune game show, IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Slots is a category leader that resonates with a wide audience, and we value IGT’s enduring commitment to the franchise,” said Suzanne Prete, President of Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television.
IGT licenses the exclusive rights to the legendary Wheel of Fortune brand across gaming, lottery, iGaming and iLottery, and non-exclusive rights to distribute Wheel of Fortune content for free-to-play social casinos, from Sony Pictures Television, which owns and produces the long-running television program.
The post IGT Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Wheel of Fortune Slots appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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