Thomas named first executive director of Sports Wagering Advisory Council

Mary Beth Thomas, the general counsel in Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office, has been named executive director of the soon-to-be independent Sports Wagering Advisory Council. Under the 2019 state law legalizing sports betting in Tennessee, the panel had been placed within the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. But under an update passed this year, the gaming council will become an independent entity in January.

The panel voted 9-0 in Thomas’ favor. The other finalists were Scott Sloan, the chief of staff and general counsel to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and Roger Guillemette, the director of sports betting and casino compliance for the Rhode Island Lottery.

Thomas was an attorney at the Waller Lansden law firm in Nashville for seven years before being hired to her current position in 2013. The Secretary of State’s Office oversees fantasy sports and other charitable gaming in Tennessee.

Thomas’ husband, Russell, is the director of the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.