Atlanta startup PrizePicks made changes to its executive team, which includes hiring its first chief legal officer.
The company said Thursday it appointed Jason Barclay, formerly legal counsel to two U.S. governors, as chief legal officer and head of public policy; William Guidera, former director of U.S. federal and state public affairs at Netflix Inc., as senior vice president of government affairs; Adam Packer, general counsel of lottery-operator IGT Indiana LLC as senior vice president of legal and compliance; and John Pauley, former government affairs manager at Sportradar, as vice president of government affairs.
PrizePicks is a daily fantasy sports operator that allows fans to project statistical player performances. It is led by CEO Adam Wexler and has a workforce of more than 200.
"Adam gave me two missions: build the strongest compliance and responsible player programs in the industry and work hand-in-hand with regulators to protect consumers ability to enjoy skill-based fantasy sports," Barclay said in a news release.
Having executive positions focused on regulatory compliance could become key for the company as the prospect of legalized sports betting in the state gains steam.
Since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on the activity, it became legal in 33 states. When Georgia tried to follow that trend, in 2021, it failed — but it remains possible to pass legislation in 2023 or 2024.
When sports betting became legal, around 95% of PrizePicks’ customers in those states stayed with the company, Chief Operating Officer Chris Hackney previously told Atlanta Business Chronicle.
“Bigger players come into these states and flood the market with heavy spending, heavy promotions, and then the market tends to settle down," Hackney said. “What wins in the long term is the better products and better customer experiences. That's what we've seen in our history.”
In November, PrizePicks ranked No. 48 in the Deloitte North America 2022 Technology Fast 500 Rankings for 3,416% three-year period. Months earlier, the company was No. 66 in the 2022 Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America list.
