Frank Suarez, the executive director of the D.C. Lottery, has resigned to become the president and CEO of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC).
Suarez will remain in his current role until the end of July and will begin work in Connecticut on Aug. 1.
The CLC said in a statement that the appointment is the result of a nationwide search that lasted nearly a year. Suarez was selected for his experience, including seven years with the North Carolina Education Lottery and three years leading the D.C. Lottery, which his new employers said made him “uniquely qualified” to lead CLC into the future.
“I am honored and excited to join the Connecticut Lottery Corporation and to work with the talented team here to drive continued growth and success,” Suarez said in a statement. “Our focus will be on maximizing revenue for the state while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and responsible gaming.”
Suarez will fill the role previously occupied by Greg Smith.
The CLC announced in December that it had signed up Fanatics Betting & Gaming as its new sports betting vendor, replacing Rush Street Interactive. The lottery competes with sports betting industry leaders FanDuel and DraftKings, which operate in the state via partnerships with the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods tribal casinos, respectively.
Suarez’s departure comes amid D.C. sports betting shakeup
Suarez’s career move comes the day after the D.C. Council voted to open up the district’s online gaming market to multiple commercial operators.
After the vote on Thursday, the district budget will head to the governor’s table with language included that would allow the likes of BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics to enter the market and compete with FanDuel.
As of April 15, FanDuel has been the only operator licensed to offer online and mobile sports betting throughout the entirety of D.C. It subcontracts that right from Intralot, the D.C. Lottery’s contracted operator.
In its first full month of operations as D.C.’s exclusive online wagering provider, FanDuel generated $4.9 million in revenue, an increase of nearly 600% from the amount made by the previous subcontractor, GambetDC, in the same month last year. Handle rose 450% from $5.4 million on GambetDC to nearly $30 million through FanDuel.
