Illinois: New chair presides over her first Gaming Board meeting

Dionne Hayden presided over her first Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) meeting Thursday after being elevated to chair by Gov. JB Pritzker earlier this month.

Hayden, who still requires confirmation by the Illinois Senate, is a corporate attorney who has served on the IGB since 2019. She is also assistant vice president, employee relations at CNA Insurance Company. Hayden began her career as a corporate litigator for McGuire Woods, LLP in Chicago, and she later joined Miller Canfield, PLC. She also served as senior legal counsel for Allianz, Global, Corporate & Specialty in their Chicago-based North American division.

She succeeded Charles Schmadeke, who stepped down July 1 after he oversaw a massive expansion of multiple gaming verticals in the state that included seven new casinos, the legalization of sports betting, and an increase of more than 16,000 video gaming terminals (VGTs) statewide to nearly 49,300.