President & CEO Winston Hodgins Receives Gaming Industry Leadership & Outstanding Contribution Award

Winston Hodgins, President & CEO, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, has received an Industry Leadership and Contribution Award at the annual Canadian Gaming Summit held this year in Vancouver on June 25.

Only two awards in this category were presented at this year’s event. Recipients must have participated in the Canadian gaming industry for a numbers of years and have made a difference and significant contribution to Canadian gaming.

“It is truly a great honour to receive this prestigious award,” said Winston Hodgins. “To be recognized by your peers for an award that my staff nominated me for is humbling indeed. I thank and appreciate all the support I have received from our dedicated staff at the newly merged Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.”

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my career in gaming,” he said. “I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to collaborate with so many passionate, creative people to contribute and affect meaningful change in the Canadian gaming industry.”

Hodgins embraced an innovative approach since joining Manitoba Lotteries in May 2000. In partnership with TECH/Spielo and Video King, Manitoba Lotteries planned, designed and launched its unique Bingo/Slots Gaming System, Pick ‘N Play at Winnipeg Casinos. He has also twice overseen the complete replacement of the provincial VLT network to stay current with electronic gaming trends.

Hodgins’ most enduring legacy may be his dedication to educational development standards for gaming industry staff that have become national benchmarks, many of which are part of the Canadian Gaming Centre of Excellence – a training and educational website for which he strongly advocated.

A longtime proponent of responsible gaming, Hodgins helped to establish a robust responsible gaming policy and strategy which led to the early implementation of Responsible Gaming Information Centres in Winnipeg Casinos, the first of their kind in Canada.

“Winston is well-deserving of this award and we applaud his accomplishments,” said Tannis Mindell, Chairperson, Board of Directors, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. “He has made a tremendous impact on our province as well as the Canadian gaming industry through his innovative and progressive initiatives. He can be proud of his significant contributions to Canadian gaming and this special acknowledgement from his national peers.”

Hodgins recently announced he would be stepping down from his role as President & CEO at the end of 2014 to become President of Business Development at Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

-30-