The induction ceremony will take place this September at an industry event in Ontario, Canada hosted by the Public Gaming Research Institute (PGRI) in conjunction with the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL).

"Michelle is an incredible asset to Brightstar, its partners and customers, and the entire lottery industry. Over the course of her highly accomplished 25-year career,  she has successfully cultivated strategic partnerships, contributed to Brightstar's global lottery leadership, and championed innovation to drive the evolution of lottery forward," said Vince Sadusky, CEO of Brightstar.  "Michelle is a shining reflection of what our new brand represents: an optimistic source of inspiration and innovation for lottery. All of us at Brightstar congratulate Michelle on her well-deserved induction into the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame."   

"It is a great honor to be inducted to Lottery Industry Hall of Fame and stand alongside all of the lottery professionals who contributed so much to our industry, many of whom inspired and supported me over the years," said Carney. "I am grateful for the privilege to collaborate with my colleagues at Brightstar and in the industry around the globe and look forward to continue working together to drive the success of lottery and contributions to good causes."

In her current role, Carney is responsible for the development of marketing and communications strategies that support growth for Brightstar's Global Lottery business, including lottery product marketing, trade shows and events, thought leadership communications, and B2C marketing campaign materials to support customer launches of new game content. She also manages Brightstar's relationships with industry associations such as the World Lottery Association (WLA), European Lotteries (EL) and NASPL.  Under Carney's strategic planning and guidance, Brightstar is positioned as the industry leader at all trade shows, conferences and events, including customer visits and RFI/RFP presentations.

A recent industry highlight was Carney's leadership of the development and implementation plan to deliver a $5 Mega Millions game in April 2025, on behalf of the Mega Millions Consortium. She developed an inclusive technical, operational and retail execution strategy that provided the framework for a successful project delivery of all key milestones across 11 subcommittees comprised of lottery and vendor employees. Her comprehensive oversight and leadership ensured that 47 U.S. lotteries and all vendor partners experienced a successful game launch. In earlier years, Michelle collaborated with MUSL and Mega Millions working groups on other multi-jurisdictional game rollouts including Cross-Sell, $2 Powerball, and Cash 4 Life.

The Lottery Industry Hall of Fame was founded by PGRI in 2005 as a means of honoring those who have done the most to make the lottery industry the great success that it is today. Membership is reserved for lottery professionals who have promoted excellence and integrity throughout their careers. Each year, former inductees nominate and vote on the final recipients.