Powerball 101: The Draw Processes and Security Requirements that Safeguard America’s Jackpot Game
Wednesday, 2:00pm - 2:45pm ET
J. Bret Toyne
Executive Director, Multi-State Lottery Association
As the second employee hired at the Multi-State Lottery Association, Bret Toyne has been instrumental in the evolution of MUSL and its flagship game, Powerball. The MUSL Board of Directors hired Toyne as the Finance Manager of the newly established organization in January 1988. His background at the Iowa State Auditor’s Office gave him a unique understanding of governmental accounting and sensitivities, which has served the organization well.
During his more than 30 years with the Association, Toyne has witnessed MUSL grow from the original six member lotteries to the current thirty-eight member lotteries and ten licensee lotteries. Along the way, MUSL has grown its portfolio from one game and one weekly drawing to numerous multi-jurisdictional lottery products and drawings performed every day of the year. Annualized multi-jurisdictional sales for products facilitated by MUSL have increased from approximately $80 million in MUSL’s first year to nearly $7 billion in the most recent fiscal year. In July 1990, the MUSL Board of Directors promoted Bret to Chief Financial Officer, and ten years later, promoted him to Deputy Executive Director. Many of the financial systems that allow for the efficient processing of prize funding were designed and implemented during his tenure as CFO. His financial acumen has also provided the MUSL Board significant statistical analysis and modeling during the many changes to MUSL products.
In October 2015, the MUSL Board of Directors named Toyne as the Interim Executive Director. Three months later, the Powerball game set a world record jackpot of $1.56 billion in January 2016. This massive global event provided maximum benefit to lotteries and their beneficiaries. The Board of Directors officially appointed Toyne as the Executive Director effective July 1, 2016. In this role, he manages the daily operations of MUSL, with primary responsibility for implementing the decisions of the MUSL Board of Directors. Under his leadership, MUSL has developed a Strategic Plan supported by an Implementation Plan. The Strategic Plan is far-reaching, focusing on operational excellence, industry collaboration, additional multijurisdictional products and international opportunities.
Toyne is a 2014 recipient of the Major Peter J. O’Connell Lottery Industry Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the PGRI Lottery Hall of Fame in 2018.
Sue Dooley
Director of Draws & Productions, Multi-State Lottery Association
Sue (Bilstad) Dooley joined the Multi-State Lottery Association as a Draw Manager in May 1988, as the company’s fourth employee. Over the past 33 years, she has had the primary responsibility of overseeing all aspects of MUSL drawings. Her position has changed dramatically over the course of her time at MUSL. In 1998, MUSL had seven lotteries offering the Lotto*America game, which was drawn weekly on Saturday evenings. Fast forward to 2021, MUSL now offers a diverse portfolio of games with drawings held seven nights a week.
As the Director of Draws & Productions, Dooley is responsible for testing and maintenance of all draw-related equipment; scheduling for draw staff; working with lotteries on requests from data questions to user account access on various MUSL systems; ongoing work to improve the draw process for MUSL and its members; and continued performance of draws.
Dooley earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Iowa in 1984. Before joining MUSL, she was a lead teacher at a large metro day care facility, and then a substitute teacher in the Des Moines suburbs. She enjoys the challenges that go with her position and how no two days are ever quite the same; but overseeing draws is still what she loves doing the most.
Robert Nitz
Director of Information Security, Multi-State Lottery Association
In his role with MUSL, Robert Nitz works to ensure the integrity of Powerball and other multi-jurisdictional lottery games. Prior to joining MUSL, he worked in the defense and financial sectors. Nitz has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a master’s in Computer Engineering, both from Iowa State University.
