James A. Carey, Jr. was sworn in February 5 to serve as the Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery. Carey has been serving as the Acting Executive Director since being appointed on July 23, 2018 by Governor Phil Murphy to take over leadership of the Division of State Lottery and was subsequently confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate on January 9, 2020.
“Leading this important state agency is a tremendous honor and I know how essential the Lottery is to our State and its economy,” said Carey. “I am happy to be working with our staff, vendors and retailers to keep it one of the best and strongest performing lotteries in the country.”
During his term as Acting Executive Director of the Lottery, the New Jersey Lottery has seen recordbreaking sales and its highest ever contribution to the State in fiscal year 2019. Carey also helped renegotiate the terms of the contract with Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group, which controls the New Jersey Lottery’s sales and marketing operations, a move that is projected to save the State roughly $100 million over the remaining life of the contract.
Prior to joining the Lottery, Carey was a Deputy Attorney General and the Section Chief of the Banking and Insurance Section at the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety. In that capacity, he served as primary legal counsel to the Department of Banking and Insurance and managed all litigation involving the Department. He also served as a prosecutor in the Division of Criminal Justice.