10 Women Rising in Gaming
September 2026
Lorrie Bamford
Company: ECL Entertainment
Years of experience in the gaming industry: 24
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
What was your first job in the gaming industry? Did you have previous experience in other industries? What drew you to gaming?
My first job in the gaming industry was with Gaming Capital Group in Oklahoma, and I came to gaming almost entirely by accident.
I had spent about 15 years practicing business and civil litigation and then five years serving as general counsel for a distribution company. A fellow lawyer and good friend, Leslie Taylor, who is a litigator and a member of the Delaware Nation, called me one day and said, “there’s a little gaming company in Newcastle, Oklahoma, looking for its first in-house general counsel. You should talk to them.”
My response was, “Gaming? What are you talking about — like Atari?”
“No,” she said. “Tribal gaming.”
I told her, “Leslie, I don’t know anything about gaming.”
Her response changed the trajectory of my career: “You’re smart. You’ll figure it out.”
So I did what any good lawyer confronted with something she knows absolutely nothing about does: I researched everything I could get my hands on. I learned as much as possible about tribal gaming in Oklahoma, went to the interview — and it was love at first sight.
I was incredibly fortunate to begin my gaming career surrounded by industry veterans like Ward Chilton, Rolen Miller, Matt Weber, and Sherri Lance. They gave me the opportunity to learn the business from people who understood it deeply, and I quickly discovered that gaming was so much more complex, sophisticated and relationship-driven than I ever could have imagined from the outside.
What ultimately drew me in — and what has kept me in gaming — is the people and the relationships, along with the opportunity to build something and watch it grow. My introduction to the industry also gave me a tremendous respect for Oklahoma’s tribal nations. I had the privilege of watching and learning from tribal leaders like Matt Morgan, gaming commission and compliance savants, Shannon Morgan, Haskel Alexander, Scott Colbert, and organizations with leaders like Bill Lance and Governor Anoatubby – that are building highly sophisticated gaming enterprises not simply for today’s success, but to create economic opportunity, stronger communities and generational prosperity.
That had a profound impact on me. Gaming sits at this fascinating intersection of law, regulation, business, operations, economic development, hospitality and human relationships. There is always something new to learn, another challenge to solve and another opportunity to build.
I went into that first interview thinking, “I don’t know anything about gaming.”
I walked out having found the industry where I belonged.
What do you like about working in gaming? What is it about the industry that keeps you engaged? What is unique about it?
What I love most about gaming is the relationships — and the transformation stories.
Gaming has given me the extraordinary opportunity to have a front-row seat not just to successful businesses, but to places, organizations and communities being transformed. Even better, I haven’t simply watched those transformations happen. I’ve had the privilege of being part of them.
I’ve watched what Ron Winchell and Marc Falcone built at Kentucky Downs and our other Kentucky properties – the transformation of that property into something truly extraordinary. I’ve watched them build The Nash, taking an abandoned Sears building in a nearly vacant mall in Nashua, New Hampshire, and bring it back to life as the state’s largest casino — creating jobs, economic activity and new energy in a place that had been sitting largely dormant. I’ve watched Emerald Island Casino and The Rainbow Club continue to transform Water Street into a magical place.
And some of the most meaningful transformation stories I’ve witnessed began in Oklahoma. Working with 39 tribal nations gave me the opportunity to see firsthand what tribal gaming can accomplish. I watched tribes build increasingly sophisticated gaming enterprises and use that success to create jobs, economic opportunity, stronger communities and generational prosperity. Those experiences fundamentally shaped the way I see this industry.
That’s what is unique about gaming to me. We build things. We transform things. And behind every property, every expansion and every new market are people with a vision who are willing to take risks, solve incredibly complicated problems and work together to make something happen.
And that’s where the relationships come in. Gaming is an enormous industry, but no matter the market, somehow it still feels like a small community – whether I find myself in Las Vegas, Henderson, Kentucky, New Hampshire, or Wyoming. The relationships you build endure. People you worked with 10 or 15 years ago become friends, mentors, colleagues, business partners — and sometimes you find yourselves building something together again years later.
I love being part of that process. As a lawyer, I get to help navigate the regulatory, legal and business complexities that take an idea from “what if we did this?” to opening the doors and watching people walk inside for the first time.
There is something incredibly rewarding about standing in a place that didn’t exist — or existed as something entirely different — a few years earlier and realizing, “we helped build this.”
Those are the stories that keep me engaged. Gaming is an industry of transformation, and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a front-row seat — and a hand in making some of those transformations happen.
Looking ahead, what impact do you hope to make in the industry, and what would you like your leadership legacy to be?
The impact I hope to make is less about what I personally accomplish next and more about what I can help other people accomplish.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate in this industry. People opened doors for me, trusted me before I knew everything, gave me a seat at the table and allowed me to grow into opportunities. I want to do the same for others — particularly women who may not yet see themselves as the person who belongs at that table.
That’s one reason mentoring has become so important to me. I want women to recognize their own value, use their voices, take the opportunity before they feel completely ready, and advocate for themselves. I often talk about finding your “inner Hellcat” — that part of you that knows you’re capable of more, that gets back up when things don’t go according to plan, when people say no or not yet, and that isn’t afraid to take up some space.
I also hope to continue contributing to the growth and evolution of gaming. This industry is changing rapidly, and I want to be part of building businesses that are successful and innovative while maintaining the highest standards of integrity, regulatory compliance and responsible leadership. Those things aren’t in conflict. In my experience, the strongest organizations understand that doing things the right way is part of building something that lasts.
As for my leadership legacy, I hope people remember how I made them feel about what they were capable of. I am reminded of this daily with the women I have the privilege of working alongside at ECL Entertainment.
I hope someone says, “she believed in me before I believed in myself.” I hope people who worked with me felt that I expected a lot from them, but also knew I would stand beside them, advocate for them and give them room to succeed. I hope I’ve helped create opportunities for people who will eventually accomplish things far greater than anything I’ve done.
And I hope I’ve demonstrated that there isn’t one prescribed path to leadership. You can come from very little. You can reinvent yourself. You can fail, get back up, change direction, start something new, and walk into a room where you don’t know everything yet. You can be strong without losing your humanity, and you can be successful without pulling the ladder up behind you.
If my legacy is that I helped build some extraordinary things, that would make me proud. But if it’s that I helped build extraordinary people — and that some of them turned around and did the same thing for someone else — that would mean even more to me.
That’s the kind of legacy that lasts.
What personal and professional qualities or traits do you believe are essential for success in the gaming industry, and which of those qualities have helped you thrive in your own career?
I think success in gaming requires curiosity, adaptability, integrity, resilience and, above all, the ability to build genuine relationships.
This industry is extraordinarily complex. It sits at the intersection of law, regulation, politics, hospitality, technology, finance, economic development and entertainment — and it is constantly evolving. You have to be comfortable knowing that you will never know everything. The people I admire most in gaming are lifelong learners. They’re curious. They ask questions. They listen to people who know more than they do, and they’re willing to change their thinking when they learn something new.
That curiosity has probably been one of my greatest strengths. I entered gaming knowing virtually nothing about the industry. I was willing to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.” I still say that today. I think one of the worst things a leader can do is pretend to know something she doesn’t. Surround yourself with smart people, listen to them, ask good questions and never be afraid to learn.
Adaptability is equally important. Gaming changes constantly — new jurisdictions, new regulations, new technologies, new business models and unexpected challenges. Very little happens exactly according to plan. You have to be able to pivot without losing sight of where you’re trying to go.
Integrity is non-negotiable, particularly in a highly regulated industry. As a lawyer and compliance professional, I’ve learned that sometimes my job is to say “no.” But I’ve also learned that a really good lawyer doesn’t stop there. My job is to understand what the business is trying to accomplish and help find the compliant, ethical path to “yes.” You have to be willing to give difficult advice, even when it isn’t what someone wants to hear, while remaining a trusted partner in moving the business forward.
I’ve also learned that leadership in gaming isn’t necessarily about being the loudest voice in the room. One of the people who taught me that was Dan Roy, who was chief operating officer of ECL Entertainment when I joined the company and who recently announced his retirement after an extraordinary career in gaming.
Dan is an industry icon, and I feel incredibly fortunate that I had the opportunity to work with and learn from him. He taught me a tremendous amount about how to operate a gaming business, but he taught me just as much about how to lead people.
Dan treated people fairly, consistently and with respect. I don’t remember him ever needing to raise his voice. He didn’t have to. When Dan spoke, you listened. When he gave feedback, it was measured, thoughtful and productive. He was an exceptional communicator who could be direct without being demeaning and demanding without diminishing the people around him. And he set that standard that is still followed at ECL.
Watching Dan reinforced something I believe strongly about leadership: you don’t have to make someone feel small to lead from a position of strength. You can hold people accountable, have high expectations and make difficult decisions while still treating people with dignity and respect. And that’s what makes ECL successful.
Those are lessons I will carry with me throughout the rest of my career. Dan will be deeply missed at ECL, and I am enormously grateful that part of my own gaming journey included the opportunity to learn from someone who has contributed so much to this industry.
Thank you, Dan.
Resilience matters too. Careers don’t move in perfectly straight lines, projects encounter obstacles, deals fall apart, regulators raise questions, you’re told no or not yet, and sometimes life simply knocks you down. Success isn’t about avoiding those moments. It’s about what you do next. I’ve learned throughout both my professional and personal life that you can regroup, learn, adjust and keep moving forward.
But if I had to choose the quality that matters most in gaming, I would come back to relationships. This is a relationship industry. Your reputation follows you. How you treat people matters. Whether you return the phone call matters. Whether people trust your word matters. And whether you treat someone with the same respect regardless of their title matters.
Some of the relationships I’ve built in gaming have lasted for years and across companies, jurisdictions and different chapters of my career. Those relationships have taught me that you can be tough and still be kind. You can be competitive and still want other people to succeed. You can be confident enough to have strong opinions and humble enough to admit when you’re wrong.
I think those qualities — curiosity, adaptability, integrity, resilience and relationships — have allowed me to thrive because they all come down to the same basic philosophy: keep learning, do the right thing, treat people well, and don’t be afraid of the hard stuff.
That’s served me pretty well—in gaming and in life.
What advice do you have for women seeking careers in gaming?
My first piece of advice to women seeking careers in gaming is: do not discount what you already know.
Trust your experience. Trust the skills you’ve developed and understand that they can transcend industries, markets and title. Something that worked in another industry may look a little different in gaming, but that doesn’t mean the experience isn’t relevant. You solved that problem before. You led through that challenge before. You built that relationship before. Trust yourself enough to know that you can take what you’ve learned and apply it in a new environment.
I certainly had to do that. I came into gaming after a career in litigation and as an in-house general counsel knowing almost nothing about gaming. What I eventually realized was that I didn’t have to start over. I had to learn a new industry, absolutely — but I brought years of experience, judgment, leadership, problem-solving and relationship-building with me. Those things transferred.
My second piece of advice is: find your women.
Turn to your fellow women in gaming. I cannot tell you how many times over the years I’ve shared something with another woman and had that moment of, “oh my gosh — I thought I was the only one who thought that. Or felt that. Or experienced that.”
You’re not.
Get connected with Global Gaming Women. My involvement with GGW has given me this remarkable community of women who have taught me, encouraged me, challenged me and sometimes helped me in ways they probably don’t even realize.
From the moment Christie Eikelman took me under her wing and continues to mentor me, I began learning from women all around me.
Melissa Cox taught me where to sit at dinners — something that sounds small until you understand how much of business is about putting yourself in the room, making connections and learning how to navigate those rooms.
Erica Kosemund has shown me what resilience and tenacity look like, particularly in marketing and leadership.
Debi Nutton always reminded me how to step onto the riser to reach the table.
At Kick Up Your Heels, I told Kelly Myers I loved the earrings she was wearing — earrings she had personally designed. She took them off and gave them to me right then and there. That moment has always stayed with me because it was such a spontaneous act of generosity from one woman to another. I still have and love those earrings.
And Emily Haruko taught me something I needed at exactly the right moment: take the reins back and stand in your own integrity.
Those lessons range from practical to profound, but that’s exactly the point. Women need other women. We need people who will tell us where to sit, help us reach the table, remind us who we are, give us an example of resilience — and every once in a while, apparently, give us the earrings right out of their ears.
So my advice is to bring your experience with you. Don’t minimize it because it came from somewhere else. Trust what you know. Be willing to learn what you don’t. Find the women who will help you navigate the rooms you’re entering.
And then, when you’ve figured out where to sit and how to reach the table, turn around and help the next woman get there, too.
