CT Lottery begins CEO search at a crucial juncture

By Mark Pazniokas © The Connecticut Mirror

The Connecticut Lottery is beginning a search for a new chief executive in a time of tumult: A new point-of-sales system has wrongly invalidated a few winning tickets, its sports-betting vendor is quitting in the second year of a 10-year deal, and an iLottery promised years ago has yet to launch.

Greg Smith, who has been seen as a stabilizing presence since being hired as the lottery’s president in 2018, when the quasi-public agency was struggling with turnover, staff dissension and other issues that damaged its credibility at the state Capitol, intends to retire in 2024.

Board members say they have been aware of Smith’s plans for months, and “Discussion of Executive Compensation and Succession Planning” was added to their public agenda in June. But neither Smith nor the board appears to have made his plans public.

The omission, combined with the ticket-verification problem and other issues, invited speculation Thursday after the lottery’s board voted with little explanation