25 People to Watch 2026

In making predictions about the future of the gaming industry, the best way to be accurate often is to look at the professionals making the largest impact today.

In this 24th edition of GGB’s “25 People to Watch,” we recognize those gaming professionals who have shown they have their fingers on the pulse of gaming, and are likely to have the biggest impact on the industry in the new year.

“As it has every year, our 25 People to Watch list reflects the best and the brightest in gaming,” says GGB Editor-in-Chief Frank Legato. “We’ve seen the accomplishments of all these professionals already, and we’re confident their influence on the industry will only grow in 2026.”

Every year, our list of alumni in People to Watch adds to a list that already reads like a who’s who of gaming. Past luminaries include the likes of Peter Carlino, Gavin Isaacs, Nick Khin, Linda Chen, Valerie Spicer, Pansy Ho, Dick Haddrill, Mark Macarro, Bobby Baldwin, Bill Paulos, Ron Allen, Mor Weizer, Christopher Justice, Bobby Soper, Larry Woolf, Tony Marnell, Kevin Mulally, Jim Allen, Keith Smith, John Acres, Noah Acres, Andrew Pascal, John Connelly, Jay Snowden, and many more.

The selections are made by the GGB Editorial Advisory Board, a collection of some of the most knowledgeable and connected people in the gaming industry. Nominees came from all aspects of the gaming business—land-based and online operators and suppliers, regulators, attorneys, tribal government officials, public officials, academics and more.

Congratulations to all the honorees in GGB’s 25 People to Watch. You are not only the best of the gaming industry’s present; you are surely the future of our business.