Jim Schultz Enables Massive Expansion at the Fastest-Growing Lottery Company in the World

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When the largest and fastest-growing lottery company in the world needed guidance on continuing its expansion, it looked to longtime outside counsel Jim Schultz to come in-house, first as a global public policy and government relations executive and now as head of global legal and public policy. 

Schultz arrived in 2022 to help the company scale its business globally, build internal efficiencies, and make Scientific Games the central innovator in a lottery sector undergoing profound changes. Over the next twenty years, the EVP says, e-instant tickets and app-based gaming—iLottery, as it’s more widely known—will likely transform the very nature of what we think of when we think of the term lottery.

What was Schultz bringing to the table other than popping up on CNN from time to time as a legal analyst? Well, the reason he’s on CNN in the first place is a good indicator.

A Man Who Knows His Way Around

Schultz has been enmeshed in public service, public policy, philanthropy, stewardship, regulatory work, and law firm excellence since 1998. He served at the Justice Department, as general counsel for the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as a trusted lawyer for the first Donald Trump presidential administration. He knows what it means to have the government as a client.

State-run lotteries are charged with driving revenue for good causes. Governments want partners that they can trust, and there’s no doubt that Schultz, a veteran of public service, is a valuable addition toward building and maintaining that trust.

“It’s important to have good relationships with the governments with whom you serve as the governments have a lot riding on performance and creating revenues for good causes,” Schultz explains.

Scientific Games’s continuing shift to the digital world is accelerating. Fourteen states now allow some form of iLottery, and more are on the horizon. Many more states including Arizona, Louisiana, and Maryland are considering legislation, bringing a new urgency to the company’s strategy.

“The app-based and online presence is going to be integral to the success of the industry as a whole and Scientific Games as a player in that industry,” the EVP says.

Scientific Games has already been on the frontier, winning major contracts to run the core lottery systems for states like Ohio and New Mexico. The United Kingdom is currently in the process of converting its system to Scientific Games. Those projects are incredibly complex, requiring both technical heft and the ability to navigate the unique political, regulatory and legal landscapes of each jurisdiction.

Commitment to Service

When asked about the moments that have most defined the attorney’s career, he doesn’t mention CNN or his time as a White House lawyer. He remembers his time as Pennsylvania’s general counsel, an opportunity where he could improve the day-to-day lives of Pennsylvanians. “In state government, a gubernatorial administration can do so much to open doors for job creation and really help to create better life opportunities for its citizens.” And he also remembers the pride he felt when first made partner at Cozen O’Connor.

“The first time you make equity partner in big law is major milestone, I just don’t think any lawyer who’s made it there would tell you it’s not a special moment,” Schultz says.

Although there doesn’t seem to be much time for reflection, given Schultz’s calendar. The EVP is the chairman of the board of commissioners for the Delaware River Port Authority, an appointment he received from current Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. He’s a board member of the Pennsylvania Society, a nonprofit, charitable organization that unites people who share a love for Pennsylvania and a commitment to civil engagement. Schultz is also a board member for Visit Philadelphia, a nonprofit that promotes tourism and leisure travel to the Greater Philadelphia region.

A Broader Lens

“Public service is in my blood,” Schultz says. So is compassion. Schultz grew up in a blue-collar household. His father reupholstered furniture. His mother acted as a full-time caregiver for Schultz’s sister, who had severe physical and intellectual disabilities. The future lawyer grew up as part of a family that found a way to include his sister in everything that they did, including being there in the stands at Schultz’s football games, a passion that would help pave the way for him to go to college.

Today, Schultz is a proud father of two. His pride in his daughters’ accomplishments is quite evident. The lawyer is also newly engaged to Marie Accardi, with whom he can be found playing golf on most Sundays at their favorite course. Somehow, amid his schedule, he carves out time for his girls’ dance recitals, field hockey games, and those important father-daughter moments. Of all his accomplishments, managing his schedule may be his most impressive.

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