Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald abruptly resigned Wednesday, with the governor’s office saying he cited “medical reasons” as the cause.
McDonald had run the $4 billion lottery operation since his appointment by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in February 2019. He previously served on the Ohio Lottery Commission since 2007, including eight years as its chairman.
“I can confirm that Director McDonald submitted his resignation and intent to retire due to medical reasons to our office today,” DeWine’s spokesman, Dan Tierney, told Sports Handle in an email.
McDonald has held numerous other state and local government positions in the past, including as director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, finance director for the Ohio Secretary of State, assistant director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, and as a deputy state treasurer.
Tierney said that Michelle Gillcrist, the governor’s aerospace and defense liaison and Northeast Ohio regional liaison, will take over as the lottery’s interim director.
The Ohio Lottery runs drawings that involve tickets sold by nearly 10,000 retailers in addition to overseeing the video lottery terminal operations of the Ohio state’s seven racinos. It also has new responsibilities since Jan. 1 overseeing the sports betting done by use of kiosks at hundreds of bars and other outlets in the state, separate from the mobile and retail betting regulated by the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
