Ga. lottery chief to lead international lottery

By Mashaun D. Simon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia’s lottery chief has been picked to lead an international lottery organization.

Margaret DeFrancisco, Georgia Lottery Corp. president and CEO, was selected to be the next president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) last week.

DeFrancisco considers the chance to lead the NASPL as an honor and a tremendous responsibility.

“We are at a crossroads in the industry with lotteries around the country and the world facing the growing challenges to increase profits for beneficiary programs,” she said. “To ensure future growth and success as an industry, we must collaborate and progress with innovative ideas and forward thinking.”

She will serve a one-year term in addition to her current role at the Georgia Lottery.

One of her goals as NASPL president is to implement the monumental agreement to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in all U.S. lottery jurisdictions.

David Gale, NASPL executive director, said they look forward to working with DeFrancisco.

“Margaret brings not only a great deal of experience to the office, but also a tremendous amount of knowledge necessary for these changing economic times.”

Founded in 1971, NASPL represents 52 lottery organizations.