GGW founding board chair Virginia McDowell is first female inductee to Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame

Global Gaming Women (GGW) founding board chair Virginia McDowell will be recognized as an Industry Influencer by the Mississippi Gaming & Hospitality Association (MGHA) and as the first female inductee to the Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame during the 2022 Southern Gaming Summit on May 5, 2022, at MGM Resorts International’s Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi. 

McDowell has proven leadership in both regional and destination markets. She served as the only female president and chief executive officer of a top publicly-traded gaming operating company from 2007 until her retirement from Isle of Capri Casinos in April 2016.

She now serves as a Non-Executive Director of Entain, where she chairs the Environmental, Social and Governance Committee. 

McDowell serves on the executive committee of GGW, which she co-founded in 2016; she is a member of the Board of Trustees of Saint Louis University, a trustee at HavenHouse St. Louis, and an advisory board member of the St. Louis Crisis Nursery. 

Her work has been recognized with several awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Casino Marketing industry conference and as one of Casino Enterprise Management Magazine’s Great Women of Gaming. 

GGW membership represents women in commercial, tribal, suppliers, lottery, tourism, and digital gaming, offering both in-person and digital programs in education and training, mentoring, Lean in Circles and networking events. 

GGW board chair and president Cassie Stratford, SVP of Legal Operations and Compliance at Boyd Gaming, spoke in a press release about the honor and said: “Since the relaunch of GGW in 2016, Virginia has focused on obtaining the support and resources necessary to build the next generation of female leaders in the gaming industry. GGW has now grown to over 6000 members in 42 states and 12 countries, and on behalf of them, I am proud to congratulate her as she continues to break ground as the first woman inducted into the Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame”.

The GGW Women in Industry Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, May 4th from Noon-1:30 in the Camellia Ballroom.

 The other 2022 Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame inductees include:

• Industry Pioneer: Allan B. Solomon, principal and chairman, Foundation Gaming and Entertainment, and co-founder and former executive vice president and general counsel, Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. (2008)

• Commercial Gaming: Craig H. Neilsen, visionary and philanthropist, founded Ameristar Casinos, Inc, and later established the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, North America's largest private funder for spinal cord injury research and programming

• Manufacturer: Kagemasa Kozuki, founder, chairman, and representative director, KONAMI HOLDINGS CORPORATION

• Regulator: John Hairston, president and CEO, Hancock Whitney Corporation, and former member and chairman, Mississippi Gaming Commission (2005-2015)