Brooke Jackson

Claims/Licensing Manager, Arkansas Scholarship Lottery

By Insights Online

Published March 17, 2026

There are a lot of moving parts to run a lottery, as there are with any business. Two areas in particular, though, define what a lottery organization is and what it does – retailer licensing and prize payments. Not surprisingly, having intimate knowledge of both activities helps drive better understanding of what it takes to be a successful lottery. Just ask Brooke Jackson, the Claims/Licensing Manager of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, who has applied her skills to improve a variety of processes and procedures so that everything flows as smoothly as possible.

“Brooke’s positive impact on the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery cannot be overstated,” says Director Sharon Strong. “She played a pivotal role in helping us navigate the automation of our licensing system, and today she continues to demonstrate exceptional leadership by guiding both our licensing team and our claims center. Her dedication, professionalism, and willingness to step up wherever needed truly make her an invaluable part of our agency.”

Brooke came to ASL in late 2016 after two years with the state’s motor vehicle division, first in general customer service and then adding responsibilities in licensing, registration and titles. She started her ASL journey as a Licensing Specialist, working closely with retailers to process and manage their lottery licenses. She was promoted to Licensing Manager in 2021, overseeing a team of three employees to ensure retailers had everything they needed in a timely and accurate manner.

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In mid-2024, an opportunity for a Claims Manager opened up. “I actually wanted to learn something new at the Lottery because I’d been in licensing for so long.” She asked questions, applied for the position and got the job. “It’s a different experience than dealing with licensing on a daily basis.” Now, Brooke is back overseeing the licensing department again after an interim Licensing Manager didn’t work out. “I was offered the opportunity to run both departments, since I was so knowledgeable in licensing. It has worked out well.”

After completing her education, the Arkansas native took time to care for her parents and then raise her own family with her husband Joshua (“JJ”). The couple met during an outing with mutual friends. They have three children, two girls (Mikayla and Lily) and a boy (Hunter). Three dogs (Dixie, Sarge and Raven) complete the family.

Brooke has always had a fondness for children. Even as a teenager, she would work at daycare facilities, and often helped her mother at an after-school program for elementary students. She especially enjoyed working with babies. Once she began her own family (her oldest is 16), though, her focus turned to raising her own children.

Outdoor activities take the priority whenever possible. Camping, boating and fishing are summer staples, and Brooke and JJ also hunt. Fifteen-year-old Hunter enjoys playing football for his school team, although the girls never found sports to be a good fit. That said, the youngest has expressed interest in pursuing cheerleading once she reaches middle school next year.

While most of her time is spent enjoying the family, Brooke is an avid reader whenever she gets a chance. She’s a big fan of the Harry Potter series in particular, but enjoys a variety of works (primarily fiction).

What first brought you to ASL?

I was working at the DMV, and just happened to see a state job posting for a position at ASL. It sounded interesting and I did some research on the Lottery. I thought it was a chance to be part of something that was bigger than myself and could possibly impact others’ lives. I’ve always been someone who enjoys helping others and making sure processes could move as smoothly as possible. Working somewhere that funds scholarships and supports education just felt right. It didn’t feel like it was just a job.

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What stuck with you the most from your initial role in retail licensing?

I’d say the responsibility that comes with licensing retailers. I realized in my first few days that behind every retailer is a business owner who is depending on us to operate as smoothly as possible. It’s not just about the paperwork – it’s about our relationships and our accountability. I was surprised how detailed the work was and everything that we had to do to license our retailers. And speaking of paperwork, it also surprised me just how much of the licensing process was actually on paper. I thought that could change, and helped transition our retail applications and record-keeping to fully digital a few years ago. Everything is now handled and stored online.

How have retailers changed over the years in what they expect of the retailer/lottery relationship?

Since we have gone to doing online applications and being more digital focused with our retailers, I personally feel like they’re less demanding. We aren’t shuffling paperwork and trying to find things, and we are able to give them quicker responses to any questions they may have. Also since we’ve gone digital, it really helps them understand what we expect from them, and in return they give us everything we need. Still, one area that can always be a challenge is license renewals. Retailers often don’t really understand when their lottery license renews, or they can’t keep up with multiple locations. We have to make sure that they never lose their license to sell lottery games just because they unintentionally missed a renewal.

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 Do you have any advice for other lotteries on handling claims and making it a more enjoyable process for winners?

The biggest piece of advice I would give on claims is to remember that for most winners, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While we handle claims every day, big winners don’t usually see more than one. So I try to make it as enjoyable a process as possible, and provide clear instructions on what winners need to do when they come in. And I try to make sure our staff is knowledgeable and patient with those winners. We do have a claim questionnaire, and I find that winners are often more comfortable writing down their answers to the questions instead of actually speaking to us. With bigger winners, our marketing team gets involved and they use a separate room.

I’d really like to have at least some of our claims processed digitally, in full or in part. We only have one claim center in the state, and big winners have to come here or mail in their claims. People don’t always trust the mail. I’m hoping we can get approval do at least some of the claims process online – even just gathering information online and then mailing checks to the winners.

Is there anything you wish ASL, or lotteries in general, could do differently?

Based on the questions we get when people come into the claim center, many people don’t know where the money goes. Like other lotteries, we try to promote our beneficiaries as best we can, yet people still don’t understand where lottery proceeds go. We really need to educate the public more about our lottery-funded scholarships, but I don’t really know what else we can do – that’s not my area of expertise. I just know what our winners are asking about and wish we could do better.

I also think we can also better explain how to play some of our games and tickets. Some of them can be very complicated. We get a lot of phone calls asking how to play. Maybe we can provide something better for our players, either at retail or on our website.

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What do you enjoy most about working at ASL? The least?

I really enjoy working with both our claimants and our retailers, because those are the keys to how we support the people of Arkansas. All our work gives students the ability to go to school. On a personal note, one of my cousins used a Lottery scholarship to go to college when her family was unable to support her. There’s something very rewarding in knowing what we do every day helps an individual that may not have been able to do it on their own.

If I had to choose the least enjoyable aspects of my job, they have to do with compliance requirements for both winners and our retailers. If a winner owes state taxes, for example, by law we must reduce their winnings. And if a retailer is frustrated by a compliance requirement, there’s nothing we can do on our end. Everyone has to meet the same requirements to keep the games safe, secure and within the laws.

What is the most fun you have had at ASL?

Without a doubt, it’s our marketing pop-up events. I enjoy being out in the community, and there is so much energy and excitement at these events. It can be contagious! We have a variety of games, like a baseball pitching game, and players can win swag prizes for participating. Our marketing team always asks for staff volunteers to help, and it’s also a great chance to interact with other employees at ASL – people we might not normally interact with regularly. Events include a big annual food truck festival, the state fair, and college and professional sports, including the U of A Razorbacks and Arkansas Travelers baseball teams. Most are larger events, but we also participate in some of the smaller local events. They are all so much fun!