October 07, 2016
Friday, Oct. 7, 2016
LANSING, Mich. – M. Scott Bowen announced today his plans to step down from his role as Commissioner of the Michigan Lottery after nine years of service. Gov. Rick Snyder plans to accept Bowen’s resignation and will begin the process to find his replacement. Bowen’s resignation is effective Feb. 18, 2017.
“Scott’s work at Michigan Lottery has been critical to the reinvention of Michigan, with the lottery providing significant support for public education in our state,” Snyder said. “While I am sad to accept his resignation, I wish Scott all the best as he pursues new opportunities in the private sector.”
Bowen was appointed Lottery Commissioner in January 2008 and is the Lottery’s longest serving commissioner. Under Bowen’s leadership, the Michigan Lottery has provided $6.8 billion to support public education while garnering $22.8 billion in sales during his nine years of leading the agency.
“Serving as the Commissioner of the Michigan Lottery has been a great honor and wonderful opportunity,” Bowen said. “The Lottery’s success during my tenure reflects the hard work and dedication of the Lottery employees and its retailers, who are proud to carry out the agency’s mission of providing funds for public education in our state. The Michigan Lottery consistently ranks as one of the top-performing lotteries in the nation because of their efforts.”
The Michigan Lottery developed and launched several industry-leading innovations under Bowen’s leadership, most notably online games, first offered to players in August 2014. The Lottery’s online games launch was the most successful in North American lottery history.
The Lottery projects the online games will provide incremental growth and contribute an additional $480 million to the School Aid Fund in the first eight years of operation. More than 414,000 players have registered to play Lottery games online.
Bowen, a strong advocate for responsible gaming, also guided an expansion of the Lottery’s efforts to help players play responsibly. The Michigan Lottery became the first lottery in the United States to receive certification for its commitment to responsible internet gaming.
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