IGT Senior Vice President of Operations, North America Lottery, Matthew Whalen, Inducted Into the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame

"Matt is committed to the highest standards of integrity and minimizing business disruption to our global customer base, each and every day," said Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operating Officer, Lottery. "He has led more than 1,500 system integration projects for our global customers, with an annual delivery portfolio consisting of more than two million labor hours. His dedication to our business and customers speaks volumes about his leadership capabilities and commitment to driving the lottery industry forward."

"I'm honored to be included among those in the Hall of Fame, and to work in an industry with so many devoted and talented people," said Whalen. "I'm proud to have been a part of some truly significant technological achievements in this business, and I believe we are only scratching the surface of what we will ultimately be able to achieve."

The Lottery Industry Hall of Fame was founded by the Public Gaming Research Institute in 2005 as a means of honoring those who have done the most to make the lottery industry the great success that it is today. The recipients of this award are all a credit to the industry and join a select and distinguished group of world lottery professionals. Membership is reserved for lottery professionals who have promoted excellence and integrity throughout their careers. Each year, former inductees nominate and vote on the final recipients.

In his current operations role, Whalen delivers on IGT's Customer First philosophy, working directly with lottery customers to foster relationships and drive growth for their business. In his previous role as CTO of Lottery, Whalen was responsible for more than 100 lottery customers, managing a portfolio of worldwide systems integration projects. He oversaw more than 1,400 technologists from six continents ensuring the complete delivery of customer solutions. In 2010, when lotteries in the U.S. began to cross-sell Powerball and Mega Millions, Whalen marshalled the resources to ensure that 27 jurisdictions had the technological capabilities in a 10-week timeframe. He was instrumental in the conceptualization, design, execution, and delivery of IGT's new core lottery system, Aurora. Internationally, Whalen and his team have collaborated to integrate some of the most complex B2B and B2C lottery platforms customized to meet specific customer requirements.

In less than a decade, Whalen rose to the positions of Vice President, Systems Integration; Vice President, Research & Development; and Vice President of International Technology Solutions. In 2008, he was named Senior Vice President of Global Technology Solutions, and in 2012, Chief Technology Officer of Lottery.

Whalen earned a bachelor's degree in computer information systems from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, and an associate degree in computer science from Morrisville State College.