Gambling in the USA
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – January 15-21
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
A significant milestone in the fight against gambling addiction, as U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas of Oregon introduced the Gambling addiction Recovery, Investment and Treatment (GRIT) Act. This groundbreaking legislation addresses a critical gap in our nation’s approach to addiction by establishing the first-ever federal funding stream dedicated to preventing, treating and researching gambling addiction in the US.
BCLC has appointed Natasha Questel as its new Chief Social Purpose Officer and Vice President, Marketing. Questel joins BCLC with significant experience in the non-profit and consumer-packaged goods sectors underpinned by her commitment to help create a better world. Most recently, she was the CEO of One Girl Can, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to breaking down poverty and gender inequality among the world’s most vulnerable girls.
Konami Gaming announced the appointment of Stephanie Lau as VP of sales enablement & gaming operations, to grow strategic positioning, processes, data, analysis and market delivery for exceptional casino customer outcomes. Since 2005, Lau has served in operations, finance and analytics for several major industry operators including Station Casinos and MGM Resorts International, across sectors spanning tribal and commercial, local and resort destinations.
U.S. Integrity, a sports betting integrity monitoring and technology company, announced that the former Chief Technology Officer of Sharplink Gaming, Dave Abbott, has joined the company’s leadership team as the Chief Product Officer. Abbott brings more than 20 years of global leadership experience leading Product and Technology teams for sports technology and gaming companies.
Partnerships
The American Gaming Association (AGA), in partnership with RG24seven Virtual Training, launched a first-of-its-kind, free online training to educate gaming industry employees on how to combat human trafficking. The free training is based on AGA’s Guide to Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking and draws on expertise from AGA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, nonprofits and law enforcement.
SCCG Management, a leading advisory firm in the gambling industry, has entered into a strategic partnership with Flex Fantasy, a groundbreaking Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) platform. This collaboration signifies a major expansion of SCCG’s vast network of top-tier products, platforms and solutions in the gambling sector.
Underdog Fantasy announced a new partnership with Sift, the leader in Digital Trust & Safety, to protect users against fraud and streamline transactions. Sift’s platform uses machine learning and a global data network of 1 trillion annual events to identify high-risk transactions in real time.
Internet Sports International (ISI), a global provider of turnkey race and sportsbook software solutions, announced its partnership with Shoalwater Bay Casino, in Tokeland, Washington. The collaboration marks the unveiling of Shoalwater Bay Casino’s innovative sportsbook, which is powered by ISI and enhances the gaming experience for patrons with dynamic real-time odds and sports action.
SCCG Management has announced an exclusive sponsor partnership with White Label Coders (WLC), the premier WordPress development agency specialising in creating high-performance websites for the iGaming industry. As part of this partnership, SCCG Management is undergoing a complete website overhaul, migrating from Squarespace to WordPress, to provide a more dynamic and user-friendly online experience for its clients.
Gambling in the USA
IGT Games Deliver Giant Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in January
IGT announced that its Wheel of Fortune Slots, Powerbucks, and MegaJackpots games awarded four momentous jackpots in January.
Lucky slots players won the following million-dollar-plus jackpots last month:
• On January 5, a Wheel of Fortune Slots player won $1,132,199 playing Wheel of Fortune Super Cash Link at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss.
• On January 8, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,657,823 playing Whitney Houston Powerbucks slots at Lake City Casino Vernon in British Columbia, Canada.
• On January 15, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,056,637 playing Gong Xi Fa Cai Grand at ACE Casino Red Deer in Alberta, Canada.
• On January 18, an online slots player won $1,247,834 playing MegaJackpots Cash Eruption on Caesars Palace Online Casino in New Jersey.
Wheel of Fortune slots have minted over 1200 millionaires and awarded over $3.6 billion in jackpots since their launch in 1996. IGT Powerbucks slots have paid 74 jackpots of CA$1 million or more since their Canadian debut in 2016.
The post IGT Games Deliver Giant Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in January appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
AI in lottery
Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering
Scientific Games has appointed Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering, reinforcing its commitment to advancing lottery systems technology and digital innovation.
Based in Atlanta, the global lottery provider continues to expand its technology leadership as one of the fastest-growing suppliers of retail and digital lottery solutions worldwide.
Leadership Experience from Amazon, Facebook and Stitch Fix
Wasserman brings more than 20 years of experience leading engineering, data science and product teams across high-performance technology platforms.
He previously held senior leadership roles at:
- Amazon
- Stitch Fix
At Stitch Fix, he served as Vice President of Engineering and Data Science, leading automation, AI-driven systems and platform optimization initiatives. Wasserman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a Computer Science degree from the University at Buffalo.
Driving Innovation Across Global Lottery Platforms
In his new role, Wasserman will oversee Product Engineering across Scientific Games’ global portfolio serving more than 150 government-regulated lotteries. His responsibilities include advancing:
- Retail lottery systems
- Digital lottery platforms
- Hardware and software innovation
- Data analytics and AI capabilities
- Consumer engagement technologies
CEO Pat McHugh stated that Wasserman’s experience scaling AI-powered platforms at world-class technology firms will help accelerate innovation and deliver next-generation lottery solutions focused on sustainable growth.
Strengthening Lottery Technology Leadership
Scientific Games continues to invest in technology, analytics and digital transformation to enhance consumer experiences across retail and online lottery channels. The appointment underscores the company’s strategy to integrate advanced analytics and machine learning into its global lottery ecosystem.
The post Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Gambling in the USA
Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering
Former Amazon, Facebook and Stitch Fix Exec to Lead Product Engineering for Global Lottery Provider
Scientific Games has named Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering. Wasserman brings more than 20 years of experience leading global engineering, data science and product organizations across complex, high-performance technology platforms.

As the industry’s fastest-growing lottery systems technology provider, Scientific Games continues to invest in technology and talent to deliver seamless consumer experiences across lottery retail and digital channels.
Wasserman previously held senior leadership roles at Amazon and Facebook, where he led large-scale systems powered by advanced analytics and machine learning. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Engineering and Data Science at Stitch Fix, leading integrated teams focused on automation and platform optimization. Wasserman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a degree in Computer Science from the University at Buffalo.
In his new role, Wasserman will lead Product Engineering across Scientific Games’ global product portfolio serving government-regulated lotteries, advancing hardware and software platforms to accelerate innovation, expand analytics capabilities and consumer-engagement to deliver long-term value for lottery customers worldwide.
“We’re excited to add Rich’s deep technical expertise scaling innovative, AI-driven platforms at world-class organizations to further strengthen Scientific Games’ technology leadership,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer of Scientific Games. “As we continue investing in innovation and analytics across retail and digital lottery solutions, his experience and leadership will help us deliver the next generation of high-performance products that drive sustainable growth for our lottery customers worldwide.”
Scientific Games serves more than 150 lotteries globally with a comprehensive portfolio of retail systems, digital platforms, instant games and analytics solutions.
© 2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The post Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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