Allwyn has confirmed new leadership for its American operations, appointing Khalid Reede Jones as Chief Executive Officer of its North America division.
The position was previously held by Wayne Pickup, who returned to his native Australia in July 2025 to take on the CEO position at The Lottery Corporation.
Jones has been tasked with steering the future growth of Allwyn North America, where the firm is chiefly active in B2B operations while also running the Illinois state lottery.
He will take on the leadership role on 6 July.
“I’m pleased to share that Khalid Reede Jones will be joining us as CEO of Allwyn North America,” said Robert Chvatal, Chief Executive Officer of Allwyn.
“Khalid brings a rare mix of regulatory insight, commercial experience and a genuine commitment to responsible growth.
“A digitally minded leader who understands the power of partnerships and innovation – I know his perspective and energy will be hugely valuable to our North American business.”
Allwyn’s North American push
North America has become increasingly important for Allwyn over the past year.
In January, the company completed its acquisition of a majority stake in PrizePicks, one of the two biggest daily fantasy sports (DFS) platforms in the US alongside main rival Underdog, which is also embarking on a push into the burgeoning predictions sector.
However, it confirmed this week that Reede Jones’ role will not cover PrizePicks. The company’s existing leadership team was retained post-Allwyn takeover, with Mike Ybarra continuing to oversee the DFS firm as CEO.
Allwyn states that it took note of Reede Jones’ experience of lotteries, gaming enforcement, licensing and private investment over a two decade career, with his most recent position being as Executive Director of the Virginia Lottery.
The company is no stranger to hiring veteran US iGaming professionals. Last summer, Allwyn hired former CEO of BetfredUSA, KresimirSpajic, as CEO of Allwyn Digital, a then-newly-created division focused on the group’s online and interactive strategy.