DraftKings has carved out a new role in its company, announcing its first chief responsible gaming officer.
Lori Kalani will report directly to DraftKings CEO and co-founder Jason Robins, and her role will be committed to elevating and integrating player safety and protection across all facets of the DraftKings platform and player communities.
“Responsible gaming is one of our top priorities and it is a core part of our mission to build games that our customers can enjoy responsibly. In this leadership role, Lori will further advance our responsible gaming initiatives and uphold our commitment to setting new industry standards," Robins said on the appointment.
Kalani was previously a partner at the Cozen O’Connor law firm and co-chaired the State Attorneys General practice for the firm. She touts an extensive background that spans industries with complex regulatory environments like gaming, social media, telecommunications, hospitality, and healthcare. She has proven accomplishments in developing working relationships with regulators, attorneys general and other key regulatory stakeholders which will help her to further cultivate DraftKings’ dedication to consumer safety and protection practices.
“Joining DraftKings represents an exciting opportunity for me to bolster the efforts of the company and look for opportunities to reinforce our responsible gaming initiatives,” Kalani said of her new job. “I am eager to partner with colleagues, regulators, industry leaders, and community advocates to further demonstrate DraftKings’ commitment to responsible gaming and promote a healthy gaming environment for all customers.”
Latest responsible gaming moves from DraftKings
Kalani’s appointment is the latest in a flurry of recent initiatives from the Boston-based sports betting goliath that are focused on responsible gaming.
In late March, DraftKings expanded its problem gambling program in collaboration with leading mental health service Kindbridge to all 25 states it operates in (and Ontario). Beginning April 1, all customers who self-exclude within the DraftKings platform will have access to comprehensive mental health assessments, care providers, and personalized care plans via Kindbridge.
Earlier in March, the operator introduced a new responsible gaming tool called ‘My Stat Sheet’ which promises to provide users with access to personal betting stats to help bettors make better data-driven decisions on their plays while also encouraging and promoting responsible gaming practices as a whole.
Other leadership changes at DraftKings
DraftKings has been unfortunately embroiled in a bitter legal battle with a former exec who jumped ship for Fanatics just before the Super Bowl in February.
More positively, Jason Park was tapped to be the company’s chief transformation officer after helming the CFO position since June 2019. Alan Ellingson took his place as CFO, being elevated from his former position as senior vice president of finance and analytics.
The sportsbook operator kicked off the new year by adding Marie Donoghue, who Robins called "a highly regarded leader and trailblazer” within the gaming industry, to its executive team. Donoghue joined DraftKings after serving as Amazon’s vice president of U.S. sports content and partnerships where she helped Prime Video acquire the rights to and launch “Thursday Night Football,” the NFL’s first all-streaming season-long package.
