Light & Wonder veteran Steve Beason returns as digital and sports betting president
Beason ends six-year absence from Las Vegas headquartered supplier joining executive team
Light & Wonder has confirmed the return of its former CTO Steve Beason to the business as president of digital and sports betting.
Beason held the position of enterprise chief technology officer and president of the Las Vegas-headquartered supplier’s Lottery System group between 2005 and 2016.
A veteran of the sector, he most recently served as CTO for Inspired Entertainment, but Beason’s career portfolio also includes seven years as CTO for The Hong Kong Jockey Club and 12 years as VP of software at GTECH.
iLottery and sports betting markets are a major focus for Scientific Games, which is a 100% lottery-focused business following its sale to Brookfield Business Partners in April 2022.
Light & Wonder CEO Patrick McHugh welcomed the return of Beason to the firm’s executive team after a six-year absence.
“Steve’s experience and hands-on team approach make him a perfect fit to complement our executive leadership team,” McHugh said.
“He’ll add immediate value across our technology, operations, content, and services offerings with a global view on commercially developing our business.
“Under Steve’s leadership, as we continue to accelerate growth, our digital product innovation will enhance each of our existing product lines, expanding play and promotion of lottery games,” McHugh added.
He continued: “Our recent successes in Denmark, Hungary, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, where we deliver integrated programs for lottery instant games, draw games and sports betting across retail and digital channels, have created opportunities and an exciting need to expand our technology leadership across all lottery categories and consumer experiences.”
Light & Wonder’s lottery division has long-term relationships with approximately 130 government and non-government lotteries in over 50 countries.