1. You were CEO of Pinnacle Sports for 17 years. What was your career trajectory prior to Pinnacle Sports and why were you drawn to gaming?

Ironically, politics was the most likely trajectory.  My grandfather was a politician, the former governor of North Dakota and I was also drawn to the idea of service of the people because of my exposure growing up with him. The draw to gaming was the newness, when I began in 1995 it was brand new, an industry in its infancy and I loved solving problems and creating everything around it. There was no framework, nothing prior to say "this is how it is done". It was exciting and new.  Later in my career with managing people and running companies I always looked at the team as people I was there to serve as well as lead.

2. You succeeded at the highest levels in what many see as a male-dominated industry. Were there any specific challenges you faced because you were a woman CEO and how did you overcome them?

At the time, I didn't even think about it, it wasn't until years later I realized I was one of the only women.  I always worked for men who respected me and saw the potential I had with hard work. I believe my competitive basketball career really hardened me and created a solid foundation of confidence and resilience.  I carried that through my career.  I believe being the only woman was always a a strength.  I knew how to keep the room in check, my strong personality created a no bull environment and my straight to the point approach resinated with the rest of the room.  I never came across as a poor me person, but rather, I have something to say and I appreciate if you listen to it.  I am also not afraid to say when i have made mistakes so that bit of humility goes a long way.

3. How do you see the future of fantasy sports dovetailing with the explosion in popularity of women’s sports?

The timing of fantasy sports focusing on women’s sports is perfect.  The interest and competitive quality are at the peak performance and the legalization is creating even more hype.  Women's tennis was superior from a competitive perspective for years, and the volume of betting made that clear, but now with the increased exposure of Soccer/European football, WNBA, Lacrosse, etc.. the interest in betting via fantasy is increased and the acceptability is also there.  Fantasy has already proven to be a perfect segway into other contests as we have seen with DraftKings and Fanduel.  This gives players the ability to get comfortable with participating in contests in the sport. There have always been a strong amount of female gamers, now it is an increased market segment that needs the attention it deserves.