Brightstar Lottery has announced a senior leadership transition, with Global Lottery CEO Renato Ascoli stepping down on June 30, 2026, after a distinguished 20-year career, and Marco Tasso being promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Global Lottery, effective July 1, 2026.
The company stated that the changes are part of Brightstar’s evolution into a standalone, pure-play lottery business and are aimed at optimizing operations for future growth.
Mr. Tasso, currently COO, International and Italy Operations, brings more than 20 years of experience across the company’s B2C and B2B businesses and deep end-to-end knowledge of the lottery ecosystem. In his role, Tasso will have responsibility for all of Brightstar’s global lottery operations, including technology, product development, marketing, sales and product management, supply chain, customer support and field services. He will report directly to Brightstar CEO, Vince Sadusky.
“Renato has made a tremendous impact on our company and the lottery industry,” said Marco Sala, Executive Chair of the Board, Brightstar. “His broad experience across lottery product development, technology and commercial strategy helped us to continuously deliver innovative solutions and services to our lottery customers. I want to thank and congratulate him for his many career accomplishments.”
“As Renato prepares to step down, I want to thank him for his many years of service and steadfast commitment to our business and people,” added Vince Sadusky, CEO of Brightstar. “Having Marco as a part of our senior leadership team supports the company’s vision and strategic goals. As we strengthen our focus on growth, transformation and operational execution, Marco’s insights and experience will help shape the lottery operating organization and optimize it to deliver results.”
Marco Tasso is a seasoned professional with more than two decades of experience in senior leadership roles across lottery management, global supply chains, strategy, product development, retail execution and consulting in both Europe and the United States. He has held various senior leadership roles at Brightstar and its predecessor company, IGT, including his current position of COO, International and Italy Operations; SVP of Global Supply Chain and Services; and SVP of Global Lottery Marketing.
Marco also previously served as CEO of Northstar Lottery Group, where he managed the first-ever private lottery management contract for the Illinois Lottery, and he later oversaw similar private manager agreements in Indiana and New Jersey. Before that, Marco held leadership positions at Lottomatica, where he managed different business units, including instant lotteries, lotto, and commercial services.
Earlier in his career, Marco consulted in roles at Bain and Company and Ernst & Young Consultants, where he developed a specialization in strategic planning, production, and cost-saving initiatives. In this capacity, he worked with prestigious clients such as Telecom Italia, Fiat, and Bridgepoint Capital.
