A Time of Change. A Time of Opportunity.
Published October 20, 2026
In life, transitions are a constant.
As children, we start new schools, welcome new family members, make new friends. The transitions continue into adulthood. We start new schools, we start new jobs. Some of us get married and start families. Some people move across the country.
Both NASPL and our industry are at transition points. My succession of Brian Rockey puts me in a long line of lottery directors who have served as NASPL’s President, including New Jersey’s own Ralph Batch.
After more than three decades of dedicated service, David Gale is retiring as NASPL’s Executive Director. His contributions to NASPL and our industry are immeasurable. As Andrew White steps into the role, I want to ensure he has every opportunity to succeed and build on the Association's considerable accomplishments.
And there is nobody who can fill the shoes of retiring Tennessee Lottery President and CEO Rebecca Paul. Rebecca and David represent decades of service to lotteries, not only in North America, but across the world.
And as I mentioned in Orlando, the leadership of four of the top six NASPL Associate Member Partners has changed in the last year.
But it’s not just people. The transition point for lotteries probably started in 2018 with the United States Supreme Court decision in Murphy v. N.C.A.A., which ended the federal ban on sports betting. In the short period since then, numerous states have legalized online sports betting. And my home state of New Jersey was only the second to legalize brick and mortar casinos almost 50 years ago, but land-based casinos now operate in more than half the states.
For the first 50 years of lottery operations in North America, lotteries were the only game in town. Now we are part of a crowded marketplace. Lotteries will need to take advantage of their status and the built-in advantages that we have if we want to remain relevant in today’s world.
Our built-in advantages are clear: Great brands. Life changing jackpots. A place in the community.
Those advantages will allow lotteries to continue to thrive. But only if we work for it.
Transitions can be scary. Think about being a kid and starting a new school. But transitions are also about growth. No matter how nervous that child was on day one, they ended that school year having learned new things and made new friends.
Transitions are about opportunity. For lotteries, this transition period is our opportunity to prove our value to the communities and causes we support.
James Carey
Executive Director, New Jersey Lottery
NASPL President
