WASHINGTON, DC – The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Sean J. Ostrow as Executive Director, and introduce four new board members, bringing experience that will strengthen SGLA’s efforts to advocate for free, safe and engaging Social Plus games. Ostrow, a veteran policy strategist who has served as Managing Director since October 2025, has been a leader in advancing SGLA’s mission to advocate for innovative, free-to-play Social Plus games while promoting responsible gameplay and appropriate oversight. Ostrow replaces former South Carolina Congressman Jeff Duncan as Executive Director, who has joined SGLA’s Board of Directors.
Ostrow brings extensive experience in the gaming industry to his role as Executive Director. Prior to serving as SGLA Managing Director, Ostrow served as consultant and strategist at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. In this role, he advanced the Sports Betting Alliance’s policy initiatives and advised major clients such as Major League Baseball, the NBA, and the PGA Tour. Earlier in his career at FanDuel, Ostrow played a pivotal role in passing fantasy sports legislation in multiple states.
“Sean has been instrumental in building the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance into a respected voice for the Social Plus gaming industry,” said Duncan. “During his time as Managing Director, he demonstrated the strategic vision, policy expertise and collaborative leadership needed to advance our mission.”
In addition, SGLA is pleased to announce the new members of its Board of Directors: Derek Brinkman, Jeff Duncan, Lloyd Melnick and Bryan Schroeder. Brinkman brings significant gaming insight and acumen to the Board, currently serving as Chief New Products Officer at VGW, where he oversees overall business operations and P&L for all new products while supporting the VGW Social Plus business. Former Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) is a Founding Partner at Covenant Government Affairs and previously served as SGLA’s Executive Director.
Melnick joins the Board as Chief Government Affairs Officer at VGW after having held other leadership roles at the company as Chief Growth Officer and, before that, as General Manager of Chumba Casino. Schroeder serves as General Counsel at ARB Interactive and has a robust background in legal and compliance roles within the gaming industry, including serving as SVP – Legal & Compliance at Tipico North America and VP – Compliance Officer for Hard Rock Digital.
“As I transition to the Board of Directors, I am confident Sean is the right leader to guide SGLA through its next phase of growth and continue advocating for innovation, responsible social gameplay and commonsense regulatory frameworks,” Duncan continued.
Each of these individuals brings vast expertise to the SGLA team, supporting the organization’s ongoing efforts to advocate for fair oversight and modern regulatory frameworks for Social Plus games.
To learn more about SGLA, please visit our website at www.SGLeadership.org and our social channels at LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.
Contact:
Laurie Rossbach
Partner, Seven Letter
202.258.7810
Laurie@SevenLetter.com
About the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance
The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) champions social gaming operators who offer innovative, free-to-play entertainment experiences enjoyed by millions of Americans while promoting responsible digital entertainment. Our partners set the standard for innovation, world class games and the responsible use of digital marketing including sweepstakes promotions. We advocate for appropriate oversight that recognizes the unique entertainment value of social online games, protects players, platforms and the community, and promotes responsible gameplay.
The SGLA’s operator partners are VGW, PLAYSTUDIOS, Yellow Social Interactive, ARB Interactive and B-Two Operations, representing Chumba Casino, Luckyland Slots, Global Poker, Pulsz, Pulsz Bingo, Modo Casino, Publishers Clearing House (PCH), McLuck, HelloMillions and SpinBlitz. Other partners include major payments providers Nuvei and Paysafe. The SGLA’s advocacy and standards focus exclusively on online social games. Our advocacy does not extend to operators offering sports products or transacting in cryptocurrency.
