Experience paid off for Caitlin Monahan. After three years of service to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the body named Monahan as the new director of the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau.
Monahan had been the interim director for the last two months. At a recent meeting, the commission voted unanimously 5-0 to name the Harvard Law School graduate to the full-time position. Before serving on the commission, Monahan worked for nearly a decade as an attorney for Boston law firm WilmerHale.
Commissioner Bradford R. Hill said during deliberations following public interviews of the candidates that it was an easy decision.
“She has a knowledge of our laws and regulations – she’s written many of them.”
Monahan had worked with the MGC since February 2021
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission was formed in 2011 after gaming was expanded in the commonwealth to allow casinos. It is also the regulatory body overseeing Massachusetts sports betting, which launched on Jan. 31, 2023, with online sportsbooks launching two months later.
Previously, Monahan held the positions of deputy general counsel and associate general counsel with the MGC, beginning in February 2021. Monahan frequently used her legal expertise in those roles to advise the MGC on regulatory issues. She earned a reputation for being prepared, professional and scrupulous.
As head of the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau, Monahan will lead the team responsible for overseeing and enforcing gaming regulations in the commonwealth. Under Chapter 194 of the Gaming Law Acts of 2011 of Massachusetts, the IEB is charged with investigating suspected violations under the gambling laws.
The department works closely with Massachusetts State Police to perform investigatory work. The director regularly reports during MGC meetings, typically twice a month.
Monahan was joined as a finalist for the position alongside Robert Charette. He spent nearly three decades in law enforcement, the last 15 years as an investigative manager for the US Marshal Department for the District of Rhode Island.
Several changes seen at MGC over the last year
The previous director of the IEB, Loretta Lillios, retired in November following nearly 10 years in the role. Her exit is one of many changes to the MGC executive staff in the months leading up to and following the launch of legal sports betting in the commonwealth. MGC Executive Director Karen Wells stepped down last fall, replaced on an interim basis by General Counsel to the Commission Todd Grossman.
Sterl Carpenter, the Sports Wagering Operations Manager, left in September to become the Deputy Executive Director of Gaming Compliance and Sports Betting for the North Carolina Lottery ahead of that state’s sports betting launch.
In January of 2023, the MGC named Bruce Band as Director of Sports Wagering.
