Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin Friday appointed John Myers as acting director of the West Virginia Lottery.
Myers, who has been with the Lottery for 7½ years and has been assistant director since 2008, succeeds John Musgrave, who retired Friday after nearly 19 years as the Lottery's director.
"He's been quite a good mentor and good friend to me," Myers said of Musgrave.
Myers, whose appointment is effective Monday, said he anticipates few changes within the commission.
"There are two main things for me: We're regulators, and that's first and foremost for us," he said. "The second thing is to continue to generate revenue for the state so we keep these good programs going."
Myers said he will also be monitoring changes within the industry, including development of innovative methods of delivering lottery and gaming products.
He also will be closely monitoring the 2016 opening of the MGM National Harbor casino resort, a $925 million complex just outside of Washington, D.C., that represents the most serious threat to Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, by far the biggest racetrack casino in West Virginia.
"Let's hope that it's not as hard on Charles Town as originally thought," Myers said.
An Ohio State University graduate, Myers had been manager of corporate administration for Toyota Motor Manufacturing/West Virginia prior to joining the Lottery, and before that had worked for American Electric Power in various administrative capacities for 17 years.
"I am incredibly appreciative of the work done by John Musgrave over the years," Tomblin said, announcing Myers' appointment. "John Myers has worked closely with John Musgrave and will provide leadership and stability to the agency moving forward."
Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.