The fall of a federal prohibition against sports wagering in 2018 has brought opportunity for many.
For sportsbooks and the data distributors and technology providers that serve them, it has meant the opening of what some believe could grow into the world’s largest sports betting market.
For leagues and teams, it has created several lines of new or dramatically accelerated business, including the sale of live data feeds and sponsorships to sportsbook operators.
For networks, it’s brought the hope that viewers with money on the line will spend more time watching live sporting events at a time of unprecedented choice and competition.
For the states that have chosen to make sports betting legal, it has brought a new form of gambling to regulate and tax.
For executives who now find themselves dealing with any of the above, it represents a challenge to decipher, and perhaps an augmented career path through which to distinguish themselves.
What follows is a look at of some of those people — the leading strategists, policy-shapers and dealmakers in the emerging U.S. sports betting sector, culled from across sports, gaming, media, technology and public policy.
It’s a group you’ll be watching closely in the days, months and years to come.
CASINOS / SPORTSBOOKS
Matt King, FanDuel
Kip Levin, FanDuel
Christian Stuart, Caesars Entertainment
Jason Robins, DraftKings
Jim Murren, MGM Resorts International
Scott Butera, MGM Resorts International
Adam Greenblatt, Roar Digital
Joe Asher, William Hill U.S.
Sharon Otterman, William Hill U.S.
Robin Chhabra, Fox BetGreg Carlin, Rush Street Gaming
SPORTS PROPERTIES
Len Brown, PGA Tour
Andy Levinson, PGA Tour
Bryan Seeley, MLB
Kenny Gersh, MLB
Brian Herbst, NASCAR
Scott Warfield, NASCAR
Adam Davis, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
Keith Wachtel, NHL
David Lehanski, NHL
Chris Halpin, NFL
Jocelyn Moore, NFL
Dan Spillane, NBA
Scott Kaufman-Ross, NBA
Ted Leonsis, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
MEDIA
David Preschlack, NBC Sports Group
Patrick Keane, Action Network
Jeff Gerttula, CBS Sports Interactive
Will Funk, Turner Sports
Ilan Ben-Hanan, ESPN
Mike Morrison, ESPN
Brian Musburger, Vegas Stats & Information Network
Mark Silverman, Fox Sports
Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports
PUBLIC POLICY
Bill Miller, American Gaming Association
Chuck Schumer, U.S. Congress
Mitt Romney, U.S. Congress
Sandra Douglass Morgan, Nevada Gaming Control Board
Gary Pretlow, New York Legislature
Joseph Addabbo, New York Legislature
David Rebuck, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
Jeremy Kudon, Orrick
Naima Stevenson Starks, NCAA
Kent Syverud, Syracuse University; NCAA Committee on Sports Wagering
CONSULTANTS
Sara Slane, Slane Advisory
Chris Grove, Eilers & Krejcik
Laila Mintas, Dr. Mintas Consulting
DATA AND TECHNOLOGY
Keith O’Loughlin, Scientific Games
Benjie Cherniak, Scientific Games
Charles Cohen, IGT
Jon Kaplowitz, Penn National
Kristian Nylén, Kambi
Jack Davison, Genius Sports Group
David Briggs, GeoComply
Freddie Longe, IMG Arena
Steve Byrd, Sportradar US
David Lampitt, Sportradar US
Jake Williams, Sportradar US
