Brightstar Lottery CEO Renato Ascoli to step down

Marco Tasso has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Global Lottery

by Nicole Zammit

16 June 2026

Brightstar Lottery is set for a significant leadership transition at the end of June, with long-serving executive Renato Ascoli stepping down from his position as CEO of Global Lottery.

The company confirmed that Ascoli will leave the role on 30th June, bringing to a close a career that spanned several senior positions within IGT before the lottery-focused business was rebranded as Brightstar following last year's corporate restructuring.

As part of the changes, Marco Tasso has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Global Lottery. In the newly expanded position, Mr Tasso will oversee Brightstar's global lottery operations, taking responsibility for functions ranging from product development and technology to sales, marketing and product management.

Mr Tasso is no stranger to the organisation, having spent more than two decades in a variety of leadership positions. His previous responsibilities have included overseeing global supply chain operations, lottery marketing initiatives and, for a period, leading Northstar Lottery Group as chief executive.

Brightstar CEO Vince Sadusky described Mr Tasso as a key addition to the company's senior leadership team and said his experience would support the organisation's ongoing transformation efforts.

The executive reshuffle comes shortly after Brightstar reported an encouraging start to 2026. Revenue for the first quarter reached $587 million, while adjusted EBITDA increased by 15 per cent year-on-year.

Brightstar is looking to broaden its digital offering by integrating products such as online casino games and sports betting alongside lottery services, with the aim of increasing customer engagement within its platforms. The company has maintained its financial outlook for the year, projecting revenue of between $2.5 billion and $2.55 billion and adjusted EBITDA of between $1.16 billion and $1.19 billion.

Brightstar Lottery is a technology partner of National Lottery plc, a subsidiary of IZI Group.

Featured Image:

Renato Ascioli / LinkedIn

Written by

Nicole Zammit

When she’s not writing articles at work or poetry at home, you’ll find her taking long walks in the countryside, pumping iron at the gym, caring for her farm animals, or spending quality time with family and friends. In short, she’s always on the go, drawing inspiration from the little things around her, and constantly striving to make the ordinary extraordinary.