New Era of Female Leadership

Meta Title: Meet the Groundbreaking Women Leading the Way in Gambling’s Male-Dominated Sphere

Meta Description: From casino execs to poker pros, these influential women are trailblazers in the historically male-centric gambling industry.

For decades, the gambling world has been dominated by men, but that landscape is rapidly changing thanks to some trailblazing women who are leading the charge. These female executives, professional poker players at Lukki Casino, lobbyists, and regulators are shattering glass ceilings and paving the way for the next generation.

Many of these women have overcome substantial barriers, fighting against long-held stereotypes and biases to rise through the ranks in fields like casino management and professional poker. Others are using their platforms to advocate for increased diversity and inclusion across the gambling ecosystem. Collectively, their impacts are being felt across every sector.

Pioneers in Casino Leadership

A number of influential women have ascended to the executive suites of major casino and gaming companies (see Table 1). Their roles put them in charge of strategic decisions at some of the largest integrated resorts in the world.

Table 1. Female Casino Executives

Name	Company	Role
Marilyn Spiegel	Wynn Las Vegas	President
Melonie Johnson	Borgata Hotel Casino	President
Cynthia Kiser Murphey	New York-New York	President

One standout is Marilyn Spiegel, who made history when she was appointed president of Wynn Las Vegas in 2010. She helmed the $2.7 billion resort during a transformative period of growth and profitability.

Others like Melonie Johnson, president of the Borgata Hotel Casino since 2015, shattered racial barriers. As the first African American woman to lead a casino property in Atlantic City, her influence extends far beyond the city.

Dominating Professional Poker

Over the past two decades, female poker players have gone from a rarity to a powerful force at tables around the world (see Table 2). Their success has brought more women into poker’s fold while changing outdated views of women’s aptitude for the game.

Player	Career Earnings	Accomplishments
Vanessa Selbst	$11.9 million	First woman to reach #1 in Global Poker Index
Liv Boeree	$3.7 million	2010 PokerStars EPT Champion
Kathy Liebert	$6.2 million	First woman to win a WSOP open event

Vanessa Selbst has been the most dominant, becoming the first woman to reach #1 in the Global Poker Index rankings in 2015. Her $11.9 million in career earnings trails only poker legend Daniel Negreanu among tournament players today.

Others like Liv Boeree, Kathy Liebert, and Annete Obrestad have won some of poker’s most prestigious events, proving women can compete at the very highest levels. Their success has opened doors for the next generation of female players.

Sparking Change from Outside the Industry

Other influential women are spurring positive change in gambling from outside the industry itself (see Table 3). Through advocacy and legislation, they are holding casinos and related companies accountable while fighting for greater protections.

Table 3. External Drivers of Change

Name	Role	Impact
Sheila Morago	Executive Director & Founder, Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association	Fought for tribal gaming rights
Lisa Swayze	Interim Chairwoman, National Indian Gaming Commission	Regulates tribal gaming industry
Les Bernal	National Director, Stop Predatory Gambling	Leading anti-gambling advocate

As Executive Director of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association since 1995, Sheila Morago has been one of Indian Country’s most vocal proponents. She successfully lobbied Congress for laws that protect tribal gaming interests and sovereignty.

Appointed by President Biden, Lisa Swayze is the first Native American woman to lead the National Indian Gaming Commission. She oversees regulation and compliance across nearly 500 tribal casinos and gaming facilities.

On the other side of the spectrum, Les Bernal has become one of the nation’s foremost opponents of state-sponsored gambling. As head of Stop Predatory Gambling, he leads grassroots efforts to expose harms and corruption from commercial casinos.

Future is Female

While progress has been made, there are still substantial gender disparities throughout gambling. But the examples set by these pioneering women are slowly moving the needle. There is a growing recognition that diverse leadership and perspectives benefit not just women, but the industry as a whole.

More work remains, but the trajectory is a positive one. As long standing barriers fall, the door opens wider for the next generation of women to leave their marks on this male-dominated landscape. With their innovations, ideas and leadership, the future of gambling is undoubtedly female.