Kevin Mullally joins International Association of Gaming Regulators as first Chief Executive
The International Association of Gaming Regulators has appointed Kevin Mullally to the newly established role of Chief Executive.
In a statement, the International Association of Gaming Regulators said Mullally would lead the execution of board-approved strategy, strengthen operations and work on enhancing partnerships that support common challenges faced by regulators across jurisdictions.
Mullally has decades of senior-level experience in gaming regulation, public policy and governance. Most recently, he headed up the United Arab Emirates’ General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority. He announced his departure in November 2025, saying he was stepping down and returning to the US to prioritize family life.
Previously, he was Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission between 2000 and 2006, before joining GLI as general counsel for 17 years.
Mullally also founded and is Managing Director of an advisory firm, The Mullally Group, working with governments and regulators to develop and implement effective regulatory and governance frameworks.
“IAGR’s strength lies in its members and their willingness to work together across jurisdictions,” Mullally said, commenting on his appointment. “My focus is on supporting regulators by expanding collaboration, sharing practical solutions, and ensuring IAGR remains at the forefront of addressing the most critical regulatory issues worldwide.”
The International Association of Gaming Regulators said Mullally would play a key role in strengthening the organization’s mission to act as a global convener, particularly in markets experiencing rapid growth and regulatory evolution.
This ambition will be reflected at the IAGR 2026 Annual Conference, taking place in Lima, Peru, in October.
“Lima will provide a powerful forum for regulators to engage on shared challenges, particularly as markets across Latin America expand in both scale and complexity,” Mullally added. “IAGR’s role is to bring regulators together to build effective, collaborative, and future-focused regulatory models.”
International Association of Gaming Regulators President Ben Haden said, “The Board was unanimous in its excitement about bringing on a leader with Kevin’s background to guide IAGR in this newly created Chief Executive Officer role.
“His experience in regulatory governance, gaming industry technology, institutional leadership and international collaboration will be invaluable as IAGR continues to strengthen its global role and support regulators facing complex cross-jurisdictional challenges.”
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The Backstory
Why this appointment matters now
The International Association of Gaming Regulators’ decision to name Kevin Mullally as its first chief executive comes as regulators worldwide face a convergence of challenges that cross borders and cut across markets. Sports betting integrity threats, blurred lines between financial instruments and wagers, and the rapid expansion of online gambling are reshaping oversight. Mullally’s long résumé, including his recent tenure building the United Arab Emirates’ national regulator, positions him to translate disparate pressures into coordinated responses and standards.
His move follows a consequential stretch in the Middle East. Mullally helped stand up the UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority during its formation, then exited in late 2025 to return to the United States. The regulator said operations and licensing programs would continue uninterrupted under interim leadership. The circumstances and priorities of that transition illuminate what he may try to operationalize at IAGR: clear rules, institutional capacity and a bias toward cross-jurisdiction collaboration.
The market backdrop is shifting fast. Commercial operators are scaling data-sharing arrangements to monitor betting markets. Startups are testing where trading ends and gambling begins. Tribal casino operators are pushing back against online expansion that could siphon local revenue. IAGR’s board created the chief executive role to meet that moment. The stakes are global, but each friction point is local. Mullally’s task is to turn individual flashpoints into shared templates regulators can use.
From Abu Dhabi to a global brief
Mullally’s UAE chapter offers a blueprint for institution building under scrutiny. As chief executive of the GCGRA, he guided framework development and sought to align the new authority with international norms. When he stepped down, Chairman Jim Murren took over on an interim basis while the regulator emphasized continuity in licensing and stakeholder engagement. That changeover, documented in coverage of his departure from the UAE regulator, underscored the balance new markets must strike: move quickly enough to manage commercial expectations, yet carefully enough to maintain integrity and public trust.
The UAE remains a test case for modern, centralized oversight of a market that could span land-based resorts and online channels. Reports have suggested a multi-license online approach, though the authority has not confirmed details. Early activity has focused on a single land-based permit and vendor approvals. That measured rollout reflects broader regulatory caution in the face of fast-evolving technology and cross-border operators. As IAGR chief executive, Mullally inherits a mandate to help peers share methods that convert ambition into guardrails before growth outpaces governance.
Integrity pressures are scaling with the market
While new jurisdictions come online, established markets are refining their defenses. Hard Rock Digital’s decision to join the International Betting Integrity Association illustrates how operators are pooling data to detect suspicious activity across leagues and geographies. The move, detailed in reporting on Hard Rock Digital joining IBIA, adds another U.S. brand to an integrity feed covering more than 70 companies globally. IBIA reported hundreds of suspicious betting alerts in 2024 that led to sanctions against teams, players and officials.
For regulators, the lesson is twofold. First, integrity monitoring is increasingly a network effect business. The value of any one operator’s controls improves with broader data sharing. Second, sanctions require credible follow-through across jurisdictions. An organization like IAGR, which convenes regulators from mature and emerging markets, can help standardize what constitutes actionable intelligence and how information is escalated. That is especially important as legal betting footprint expands in North America and as Latin America opens new channels that will attract international operators and sharp money.
When finance meets gambling law
Lines between financial products and wagering continue to blur, creating gray zones for regulators. In New York, prediction market Kalshi sued the state’s gaming commission, arguing that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over its event contracts. The company framed state oversight as a crackdown on sports-related trading products rather than gambling, highlighting a broader turf battle between financial and gaming regulators. The dispute, outlined in coverage of Kalshi’s lawsuit against New York regulators, mirrors clashes in other states and follows federal-level scrutiny of event contracts.
These cases force hard questions: Are event-based contracts legitimate hedging tools or bets by another name? Who protects consumers when products look like both? Nevada’s recent notice to licensees that it treats sports event contracts as wagers adds another regulatory signal. For an association like IAGR, the moment calls for comparative analysis and guidance that helps members reconcile financial stability concerns with gambling harm prevention and market integrity. Consistent definitions and coordinated enforcement reduce arbitrage opportunities for firms eager to exploit fragmented rules.
Tribal revenues and the online pivot
In the United States, the push-pull between online expansion and tribal sovereignty is sharpening. The Laguna Development Corporation’s move to join the National Association Against iGaming makes it the first tribal corporation to sign on with the group, reflecting concerns that online real-money gaming could erode the economics of land-based casinos that fund essential services. The development, reported in coverage of Laguna Development joining an anti-online gambling coalition, highlights a structural risk: states that legalize broad online offerings without aligning revenue-sharing or exclusivity terms can destabilize local funding models built on brick-and-mortar exclusivity.
Tribal gaming remains a pillar of regional economies, with federal figures showing strong revenue in fiscal 2024. But distribution and control matter as much as totals. For IAGR and its members, policy options include guardrails on online market entry, mechanisms for tribal participation or exclusivity in digital channels, and cross-border consumer protection standards. Absent coordination, expansion can deepen legal conflict and create enforcement blind spots where illicit operators thrive.
Regional signals from Asia and Latin America
Momentum in Asia offers an on-the-ground view of regulatory adaptation. In the Philippines, a leading casino executive described how domestic online “e‑games” oversight is tightening and how operators are recalibrating expectations. The perspective, captured in an interview with Casino Plus chief executive Evan Spytma during Manila’s IAG Expo, is available via Complete iGaming’s Q&A on the Philippines market and the companion video interview. The Philippines has moved to streamline licensing and rein in gray areas, a reminder that regulatory consolidation often follows periods of rapid expansion.
Those dynamics will echo across Latin America as markets scale, fragment or align. IAGR’s plan to convene regulators in Lima in 2026 underscores how the region’s growth and complexity demand practical, transferable models. Enforcement cooperation, data-sharing frameworks and risk-based supervision are likely to top the agenda. Mullally’s challenge will be to turn case studies from places like the UAE and the Philippines into toolkits that work in countries at different stages of maturity.
The through line across these developments is speed. Betting integrity programs, event-contract litigation, tribal revenue protection and regional market building are all moving at once. IAGR created a chief executive role to bring coherence to that pace. Mullally steps in with experience writing rules from scratch and navigating stakeholder politics. The test is whether a global convener can help regulators stay ahead of operators and innovation without sacrificing consumer protection or market confidence.
