Strength in Leadership: Decades of experience at Scientific Games meets next era of instant game innovators

The world has changed since 1974 when the founders of Scientific Games developed the first secure instant scratch game, fresh out of university with game theory, engineering and marketing degrees. Game programming, production technology, papers, inks and finishes have continually advanced over the decades. Lottery partnership programs began driving sales performance. Data analytics inform today’s portfolio management and marketing plans. And digital components of scratch games connect brick-and-mortar retail to online player engagement.

In 2024, scratch games represented USD123.9 billion in annual retail sales globally.

John Schulz, President, Americas and Global Instant Products and member of the Executive Leadership Team at Scientific Games, joined the company in the 1980s. Throughout his career spanning the past four decades, he’s learned every aspect of the business, helping start-up and grow instant game sales for lotteries around the world. Schulz has relentlessly pushed for innovation to keep scratch players entertained while aligning with lotteries’ mission to responsibly deliver proceeds to their beneficiaries.

“Lotteries understand that they can’t lose focus on the magnitude and profitability of the instant product category,” said Schulz. “There are many new channels and forms of game entertainment, but in most cases instant games are by far the most profitable for lottery good cause programs.”

Schulz has fine-tuned a global team of instant product experts who are leading the charge for the next era of instant games. Meet some of these growth leaders at Scientific Games who understand that retail game innovation with digital connection is the key to the future.

Bryan Murphy

VP, General Manager, Instant Products

Bryan Murphy began his professional career in hub operations, transportation and logistics for small packages at UPS, eventually going to work for FedEx then Scientific Games, where he made an immediate impact on automating packaging and shipping operations at the company’s largest instant game production facility in metro Atlanta. A respected people leader, Murphy is responsible for safety, game programming, maintenance, QA, prepress, plate room, press, packaging, shipping and receiving, and works closely with sales and marketing to deliver new and exciting products to customers. He loves the challenge of striving for continuous improvement, but his favorite part of his work is mentoring his team members’ professional development. Murphy believes success is found in true partnerships with lotteries. “We employ the best people in the world to produce our games. We are extremely effective at leveraging analytical data to optimize sales,” he shares. As for the future, Murphy says, “It’s clear that the enjoyment of scratching a physical ticket is very real. It’s an experience that is unmatched in the world of digital. Our scratch games also give players a strong sense of security that the ticket cannot be altered once it is printed. Therefore, their odds of winning are secure. I see a market where physical and digital games coexist without cannibalizing the other.”

Danielle Hodges

Senior Director, Global Product Innovation & Development

Known for her quick wit and ability to bring a smile to customers’ faces, Danielle Hodges has worked at the heart of instant game innovation for Scientific Games for 13 years. The self-described lottery industry “lifer” shares, “My family and friends host game nights regularly, so making games doesn’t feel like a job. I get excited about scratch experiences and genuinely enjoy innovating products for our lottery partners.”  Hodges has most recently been involved in ideating, creating, testing and producing Strategic Product Enhancements such as HD Games, Sparkle, FusionHolo and other instant game innovations on the company’s new Dimension production technology at its metro Atlanta instant game facility. She leads an innovation team that relies on data analytics and consumer trends to develop Scientific Games’ enhancements, unique finishes and digital extensions for scratchers. “Because of our data-driven approach, our innovation is meaningful innovation. But in many instances, we are introducing lotteries to all-new concepts.” Her guidance to lotteries, “Refresh your strategy every year, don’t rinse and repeat. Mediocrity will result in stagnation. Navigate the fast-changing world with creativity. Top-shelf, luxury embellishments are big with scratch game players right now. And digital enhancements like second-chance promotions, Scratch Connect and iDecide are helping our customers connect bricks to clicks.”

James Dreger

VP, Strategic Account Management

With a Marketing and Operations Management degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, James Dreger began his career at Scientific Games as a product analyst on the top-performing Georgia Lottery account, then brought his product strategy knowledge to lotteries around the globe as a member of the company’s international marketing team. Today, Dreger works exclusively with lotteries that participate in the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership program, overseeing portfolio strategy and customer relationships. “We’re building strong partnerships. Instead of focusing on a single scratch game, we’re shaping the entire portfolio to deliver entertainment experiences to every kind of player. The player journey – from advertising to the retail purchasing experience, gameplay, and post-purchase engagement – must be part of the solution for every game as it fits into the portfolio,” he says. An outside-the-box thinker and problem-solver, Dreger believes that the company’s custom-tailored solutions and data-driven approach help drive sales performance. “We are at the forefront of the industry’s true understanding of player behavior due to the increase in data made possible by retail innovations, cashless transactions and digital player engagement. By using this growing influx of information, we can design products and solutions that better serve our lottery customers.”

Meghan Kiss

VP, Strategic Account Management

This instant product pro has had the unique opportunity to work on both the customer and vendor (Scientific Games) side of the business after earning a college scholarship made possible by state lottery funding. Meghan Kiss’s passion for good causes inspires her work every day. With that unique view, her career has primarily been focused on lotteries participating in the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership program, a data-driven approach to instant game portfolio management. “Whether it’s discussing strategy, ways to increase lottery profits or resolving an issue, if I can help someone every single day, it’s fulfilling.” Kiss’s positive outlook keeps her focused on building relationships and overcoming challenges collaboratively. Kiss is proud of the connection she and her colleagues at Scientific Games have with customers. “It shows in our work. Our robust insights and analytics team is a huge factor in our success. We offer a full suite of products, and we are easy to do business with.” Kiss advises lotteries to invest in growing their business and adapt to change. “Connecting physical to digital is important. And we must make it easier for players to buy lottery games with tap-to-pay, debit, and non-traditional retail locations so lotteries can continue to fund their good cause programs.”

Angela Goodwin

VP, Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership Sales & Operations

‍Another beneficiary of a lottery-funded college scholarship, Angela Goodwin, echoes gratitude for her work at Scientific Games, which allows her to be part of a company that contributes to good causes. Goodwin’s career has spanned instant game production, product strategy and most recently, leading Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership sales and operations. She also executes sales and operational initiatives for lotteries to drive growth and efficiencies, collaborating with internal and lottery teams to optimize performance, streamline processes and identify new opportunities. Goodwin’s motto is to live with honesty and lead with integrity. “Honesty is the foundation of building trust and without trust, you can't effectively work with others or lead a team. Integrity means staying true to my principles, even when it’s not the easiest path,” she shares. “Data-driven decision-making is at the forefront of our every recommendation. We’re not looking to sell games, but to provide a strategy that will responsibly maximize returns to good causes.”  She believes the company differs from others because its teams immerse themselves in their partners’ goals, challenges and opportunities to create tailored strategies and partnerships that drive innovation and long-term success for lottery beneficiaries. Goodwin says strong, strategic partnerships and the next generation of data analytics to help lotteries understand consumer behavior are key to ensuring instant games remain relevant, engaging and profitable.

Daniel Mead

Operations Director

Dan Mead’s career at Scientific Games – both Lottery and Gaming – has centered on operations, major technology rollouts, software deployments, terminal hardware, maintenance and content category management for lotteries in Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S. Now, he’s excited to be part of the Scientific Games team delivering partner Allwyn’s bold vision for The National Lottery 4th License in the UK. He is responsible for operations at Scientific Games' new state-of-the-art National Logistics Centre in Warrington, UK. In short, that entails instant game distribution to 44,000 UK retailers using the company’s patented SciTrak technology. “We’re distributing 20-25,000 weekly shipments with 150-200,000 game packs. We recently celebrated our one-year anniversary and have shipped 1.2 million packages with a retail value of over £2 billion.” Mead was involved from the very start, helping build out the Warrington facility and process flows and recruiting and developing a new team of experts. “We’re constantly innovating to improve. Underpinning our innovation is knowing that all our hard work benefits the good causes The National Lottery supports,” he shares. Mead believes Scientific Games’ technology, depth and breadth of its people, and global footprint separate the company from others. He looks forward to more digital components for physical instant games continuing to develop, with responsible play at the forefront.

Diane Green

Manager, Sales

After studying modern languages and business, Diane Green began her career at Scientific Games in the UK as a linguist in customer service, then moved to an instant games sales role serving European lotteries. For her, it’s attention to details big and small that ensures the company delivers on its promises and anchors customer relationships on trust. Inspired by creativity, Green spends much of her time sharing analytics and insights and developing game portfolios and customer growth plans. “Scientific Games fosters a culture of creativity and strategic thinking. This is why we add so much value to the relationships we build with lotteries.” Over the years, her strong work ethic has helped her stay focused and develop good lines of communication. Green believes Scientific Games truly cares about customers as individuals and as business partners. “Our customers are passionate about their products and demand for instant games is stronger today than ever. Building good relationships with regulators who create the context in which we work – and a deeper understanding of players, the end users – will be key to the future success of the lottery industry,” she shares.

Katrina Bonnet

VP, Asia Pacific

Katrina Bonnet’s journey in the lottery industry began in IT and marketing positions. She has since worked across all aspects of the business and earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and an MBA from the Sydney Graduate School of Management. Ultimately, her dream job was a customer-facing role, and through promotions, she began working with Australian lotteries and eventually, other customers internationally. Today, Bonnet leads Scientific Games Asia-Pacific business, aligning with customers in the region to develop and execute strategic plans for success. “It doesn’t feel like work if you love what you do. The experience and knowledge of my colleagues at Scientific Games – the people – are genuinely great. We breathe lottery day in and day out around the globe,” she says. Bonnet believes that Scientific Games’ more than 50 years of insights and collaboration with lotteries is what supports and builds on success. “Change is constant. Everything from physical to digital games, the needs and expectations of lotteries and their players continually evolve,” she shares. “This means we have to be even more innovative with our products, ensure security protocols are in place with technology advancements and importantly, continue to keep players safe with responsible gaming initiatives.”

Steve Townend

Director, Game Programming, Information Technology & Customer Services

Based in the UK, Steve Townend worked in technical and mathematics-focused positions in engineering and software before his path led him to the lottery industry. His talents eventually helped produce scratchcards for small community and state lotteries before The National Lottery was formed and he joined Scientific Games. “And the rest is history,” he says. “I was excited about the math behind scratchcards and the idea of working on products that millions of players would interact with daily.” Beginning as a game programmer, Townend eventually moved to a broader role developing scratch game production processes. Now, he leads game programming and IT for Scientific Games’ UK instant game facility in Leeds and has responsibilities for the customer services team to ensure the delivery of quality, secure products to lotteries. “Our industry is built on integrity, and integrity must remain at the forefront of everything we do,” Townend says.” He loves the manufacturing area of the business. “To this day, I am still in awe of the people and technology that combine to produce billions of scratchcards every month.” He firmly believes that physical instant games have a long, successful future in an increasingly digital world. “They are accessible, simple and affordable entertainment for players. But to satisfy the needs of newer generations of players, physical instant games must have the option to extend to digital through new products like iDecide.”

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