Brightstar Lottery has announced changes to its senior leadership team, with Global Lottery CEO Renato Ascoli set to step down on 30 June 2026.
The company said Ascoli will leave after a 20-year career in the lottery and gaming sector, during which he held a number of senior leadership positions and oversaw operations across multiple international markets.
From 1 July 2026, Marco Tasso will assume the newly created role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Global Lottery. Tasso currently serves as COO of International and Italy Operations and will report directly to Brightstar CEO Vince Sadusky.
In his new position, Tasso will oversee Brightstar’s global lottery operations, including technology, product development, marketing, sales, product management, supply chain, customer support and field services.
Tasso brings more than two decades of experience across lottery management, supply chain operations, strategy and product development. During his career with Brightstar and its predecessor company IGT, he has held several senior roles, including Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain and Services and Senior Vice President of Global Lottery Marketing.
He also previously served as CEO of Northstar Lottery Group, where he managed the private lottery management contract for the Illinois Lottery. He later oversaw similar arrangements in Indiana and New Jersey.
Before joining Northstar, Tasso held leadership positions at Lottomatica, managing business units across instant lotteries, lotto products and commercial services.
Earlier in his career, he worked as a consultant with Bain & Company and Ernst & Young Consultants, focusing on strategic planning, production and cost-efficiency initiatives for clients including Telecom Italia, Fiat and Bridgepoint Capital.
Brightstar said the leadership changes form part of its development as a standalone lottery-focused business as it continues to optimise operations and organisational structure.
“Renato has made a tremendous impact on our company and the lottery industry,” said Marco Sala, Executive Chair of the Board, Brightstar. “His broad experience across lottery product development, technology and commercial strategy helped us to continuously deliver innovative solutions and services to our lottery customers. I want to thank and congratulate him for his many career accomplishments.”
“As Renato prepares to step down, I want to thank him for his many years of service and steadfast commitment to our business and people,” said Vince Sadusky, CEO of Brightstar. “Having Marco as a part of our senior leadership team supports the company’s vision and strategic goals. As we strengthen our focus on growth, transformation and operational execution, Marco’s insights and experience will help shape the lottery operating organization and optimize it to deliver results.”
