Scientific Games Names Dan Flynn CEO as Kevin Schneider Becomes Chairman

Scientific Games announced from Atlanta on 5 November 2026 that Dan Flynn is its chief executive officer, effective 2 November, with interim CEO Kevin Schneider moving to the role of Chairman of the Board.

The appointment ends a search that began in August, when the lottery supplier said long-serving CEO Pat McHugh would retire. Flynn takes over a business that Brookfield Business Partners acquired in 2022, the same year McHugh became CEO.

What Scientific Games announced

The company named Flynn permanent CEO and confirmed that his start date was 2 November, three days before the public announcement. Schneider, who had been interim CEO since September 2026, was appointed Chairman of the Board.

Schneider joined the board as an independent director in 2022 and became Vice Chairman in March 2026. In the company's release he said the business has served customers for "more than five decades" and that the team would build on that record. Flynn said the company would "build on the company's achievements" together with its people.

The release also said Flynn will join the team at the World Lottery Summit in Sydney, 9–13 November, to meet customers, partners and industry leaders. That makes the Sydney event his first announced public engagement in the role.

Who Dan Flynn is

Flynn was most recently Chief Transformation Officer at CDK Global. He returned to CDK in 2022 after an earlier tenure from 2016 to 2019, during which he served as EVP of Business Transformation and President of North America.

According to Gaming Intelligence, which reported details beyond the company release, Flynn led Caterpillar's global rental and used equipment business from 2019 to 2022. That unit had more than $4bn in annual sales. Before Caterpillar he spent more than two decades at Hertz, finishing as Senior Vice President of North American Operations.

His background is in operations and business transformation rather than lottery. He comes to the role after a board search that Scientific Games opened when McHugh's retirement was announced.

How the succession unfolded

The leadership change took three months from first announcement to permanent appointment.

In the August release the chairman was David Nowak, who is also President of Brookfield's Private Equity Group. The 5 November release names Schneider as Chairman of the Board.

What it means for lottery customers

Scientific Games supplies lottery operators on several continents, so a CEO change tends to be read through its customer relationships. Recent Gamingo coverage shows the breadth of that book: a renewal with the New York Lottery, a contract renewal with the Polish National Lottery, a seven-year Berlin lottery deal and the SCiQ lottery technology rollout with Allwyn in the UK.

The Sydney meetings will give Flynn early face time with that customer base. The company's own framing points to continuity, with Schneider moving from the interim chief executive seat to the chair rather than leaving.

The move also fits a wider pattern of permanent chief executive appointments after interim periods, such as the FanDuel decision to name Christian Genetski permanent CEO from 1 January 2027.

Status reviewed on 6 November 2026. Appointment dates and roles come from Scientific Games' 5 November release and its 3 August announcement, while the Caterpillar and Hertz details come from Gaming Intelligence. More business news and North America coverage.