"The gold standard": more than four decades of pioneering the lottery industry

By Kate Northrop

Lottery industry spearhead and Tennessee Lottery President and CEO Rebecca Paul announced her retirement after 23 years in the leadership position and four decades in the field.

With more than forty years of serving the lottery industry under her belt, someone else will have to fill big shoes that Tennessee Lottery CEO Rebecca Paul is leaving behind.

Her final day as President and CEO will be Dec. 31, 2026, Tennessee Lottery Board of Directors Chair Will Carver announced on her behalf.

"Rebecca has been an invaluable asset to Tennessee and the lottery industry," Carver said in the Lottery's press release. "We will deeply miss her professionalism, vision, expertise and leadership, but wish her the absolute best in her well-earned retirement. Her legacy cannot be overstated."

Having first been appointed CEO of the Illinois Lottery in 1985, she subsequently moved on to kickstart the Florida Lottery, Georgia Lottery, and Tennessee Lottery as each lottery's founding CEO. It's directly thanks to her that, to this day, four different lotteries continue to produce extra revenue for education in four separate jurisdictions to this day.

"She came to Tennessee in September 2003 and helped launch the first ticket sales three weeks early — making it the fastest start-up in lottery history," Carver continued. "This early start resulted in an additional $30 million in profits that would have otherwise gone unrealized. The Tennessee Education Lottery quickly became the gold standard of effective lottery leadership and success. Rebecca instilled an atmosphere of integrity within the lottery as evidenced by 22 consecutive years of clean state audits."

In addition to Paul helping millions of students reach higher education, the Tennessee Lottery has generated more than $8.3 billion for education and funded more than 2.3 million higher education awards to Tennessee students under her direction.

"Rebecca has served Tennessee with distinction, and her leadership of the Tennessee Education Lottery has expanded opportunity for students across our state," Tennessee Governor Bill Lee commended. "Maria and I are deeply grateful for her years of dedicated service and wish Rebecca and her family God's richest blessings in the days ahead."

On top of her accomplishments, Paul has garnered a reputation for bringing other lottery officials up to speed on management, passing down industry knowledge and training other professionals to excel in their own managerial and executive roles.

"When we hired Rebecca, we were sure we were getting the best lottery executive in the United States," Tennessee Lottery first Board chair Denny Bottorff added. "I now believe she is the best in the world. The quality of life in Tennessee has been measurably improved due to the impact she has had on the education level of our citizens."

Paul has also pioneered the advancement of women in the lottery industry, having entered her first leadership role at a time when most executive positions in the lottery were statistically held by men. She founded the Women's Initiative in Lottery Leadership in 2016, an international initiative which offers a mentorship program for up-and-coming professionals and aims to inspire and influence the development and advancement of women into the top positions of lottery management and leadership.

"Starting Women in Lottery Leadership has been one of the greatest highlights of my career," Paul said. "Working with so many talented, dedicated professionals who truly care about the difference they make in so many lives through the support of good causes has been the other."

Paul served as the first female President of the World Lottery Association and had previously held the Chair position of its Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. Her track record goes on: President and/or Chair of all offices of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) and the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which governs Powerball, Lotto America, 2by2, JackpotUSA, and Millionaire for Life, and President of the International Association of State Lotteries (AILE), which would eventually become the World Lottery Association (WLA) that represents state lotteries in over 90 countries. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Butler University, where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees.

"I cannot thank Rebecca enough for her contributions to the lottery industry and to our state," Carver added. "She and her entire Tennessee Education Lottery team built our state's lottery into an industry force, and that foundation will serve Tennesseans well into the lottery's next chapter."

Paul had given the Tennessee Lottery Board a six-month notice to aid in the transition to a new CEO, during which the Lottery will release more information about its transition plan.

"Throughout my tenure, I had the privilege of learning from 28 board members, some of Tennessee's best leaders," Paul said. "I will forever be grateful to them for their guidance and support. I am extremely proud of the staff and thankful for the opportunity I've had to work with such a talented group of employees."

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Lottery industry spearhead and Tennessee Lottery President and CEO Rebecca Paul announced her retirement after 23 years in the leadership position and four decades in the field.