The latest inductees into the 2024 SBC Sports Betting Hall of Fame have officially been named.
This award began in 2016 and aims to recognize and honor individuals who have left a positive impact on the sports betting industry. Five inductees have been named, while SBC is set to honor the late John English as the sixth inductee for the 2024 class.
Staci Alonso
The first inductee, Staci Alonso, was a former commissioner and executive vice president/chief monetary officer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Throughout her career in the industry, Alonso received various honors, including the Casino Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award at the Casino Marketing Conference back in 2012.
Richie Baccellieri
Receiving this award as a race and sports industry expert, Richie Baccellieri is known for running and operating Caesars Sportsbook, giving him unique betting insights within the industry. A veteran bookmaker, Baccellieri is being recognized for his contributions to Stadium Technology Group for over a decade. He’s currently the director of product at Circa Sports.
Michael Tobin
Founder and CEO of Continent 8, which is a data and technologies company operating in the iGaming industry, Michael Tobin has been a key figure in the sports betting industry for over two decades. His impact can be felt especially in regard to the gathering, storage, and protection of data and other related information.
Jay Kornegay
Jay Kornegay is currently the vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate Las Vegas. Kornegay has more than 25 years of experience in the race and sportsbook industries and helped launch the Imperial Palace sportsbook in 1989, which quickly evolved into one of Nevada’s top sportsbooks. In 2004, he took control of the Las Vegas Hotel SuperBook, with a variety of betting markets, fair odds, and a massive 30,000-square-foot area for sports bettors to comfortably wager.
Christian Genetski
Currently the president of FanDuel Group and overseeing other areas, including business development, partnership, corporate strategy, and government affairs, Christian Genetski has played a crucial role in fostering the legalization of sports betting in the United States. Genetski’s background in working alongside legislators, regulators, and other industry officials, plus his ability to form partnerships between FanDuel Sportsbook and various professional sports franchises, makes him worthy of this award.
John English
The late John English will receive this SBC award posthumously as the creator and inventor of modern sports betting kiosks. English not only advocated for incorporating AI into the sports betting and gaming industries, but he also was among the first to encourage sports betting kiosks to be placed in Nevada taverns and bars until they were outlawed in 2013. Afterward, English focused on creating keno and bingo games within new kiosks, plus the addition of sports betting kiosks located inside of casinos and sportsbooks throughout the United States.
