Virginia Lottery head departs

Khalid Jones has ended his term as the Virginia Lottery‘s executive director, he announced in a video posted on LinkedIn last week.

Tony R. Russell, most recently deputy executive director of ITS and operations at the lottery, has been named acting executive director.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger‘s office is responsible for appointing Jones’ permanent successor but did not immediately provide a timeline for the search when contacted Thursday for comment.

Jones, who was appointed executive director by then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin in April 2024, wrote in his post that “the decision to step into a new journey has been one of the most difficult I’ve ever made. For two years, I have given all of myself to this agency and I hope that in doing so I have given more than I have taken. I look forward to talking about what’s next in store for me.” He did not say what his future plans are.

As head of the Virginia Lottery, Jones was responsible for the lottery and overseeing licensing and regulation of the state’s five casinos and online sports betting.

An attorney who specialized in large-scale financial investigations and licensing, Jones previously held executive positions with investment firm SourceRock Partners and All American Licensing, a sports and entertainment marketing firm, and he also advised lottery organizations, including the Multi-State Lottery Association.

In December 2025, Jones was named lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, a multijurisdictional lottery game administered by the directors of its 12 original lotteries, including Virginia.

In fiscal 2025, the state lottery broke its sales record, generating $5.8 billion in sales, and income from operations totaled $901.5 million. Sports betting wagers totaled more than $7.2 billion, and the state’s three operating casinos generated nearly $850 million in adjusted gaming revenue. In the past year, both Norfolk and Petersburg have opened temporary casinos while permanent resorts are under construction. Also, $868.2 million in proceeds were transferred to a state fund that supports public education.

Russell, the agency’s acting executive director, has been with the lottery since 2013 and previously held senior leadership positions at Kroger and FedEx.

The lottery didn’t respond immediately to requests for comment Thursday.