Joe B. Hoage Executive Director

The IGC has the statutory responsibility to license and exercise regulatory oversight of the state’s 13 casinos.  We are also charged with licensing and regulating Charity Gaming, which includes bingo, charity game nights, raffles, door prize drawings, festivals, water races, qualified drawings and the sale of pull tabs, punch boards and tip boards conducted by qualified non-profit organizations.  There are over 4,000 qualified organizations conducting charitable gaming in our state.  Our gaming control officers and license control counselor enforce the illegal gambling statute, contained in the criminal code, across the entire state. And last but not least, the Athletic Division licenses and oversees boxing and mixed martial arts contests.

Commission staff takes great pride in our responsibility to ensure the strict regulation and the highest levels of gaming integrity in Indiana. On behalf of our entire staff, it is an honor to serve Governor Mike Braun and the members of the Commission in carrying out our charge.

Staff also strives to be responsive and provide education concerning gaming in Indiana.  If you are unable to find the answers to your questions, please contact us, and we will be happy to assist.

Brent Embrey (Chairman) of Greenfield, Indiana is a partner in the law firm Embrey & Embrey.  Over the past 15 years, he has built a statewide practice as a personal services attorney specializing in the complex relationship between estate planning and probate, family law, business, real estate, and litigation. Mr. Embrey previously served as Chief of Staff for Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter, managing and leading more than 200 employees in 11 operational areas, including consumer protection, telephone privacy, licensing, and information technology.  He also served as Public Policy Advisor for Golden Rule Insurance Company, rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best, managing legislative and regulatory issues across the country. Mr. Embrey also served as Assistant State Director to Senator Richard G. Lugar and as Campaign Manager for Secretary of State Sue Anne Gilroy. Mr. Embrey was an Eli Lilly Scholar at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana and is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis. Embrey is also a musician with particular emphasis on trombone and voice. Embrey is a native of Miami County, Indiana and currently resides with his wife and two children in Greenfield, Indiana.
Mr. Embrey was appointed to the Commission as Chairman in September of 2025 to September 2029.

Chuck Cohen of Bloomington, Indiana is a Vice President at the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). He is a Professor of Practice in the Indiana University Bloomington Department of Criminal Justice and an Indiana University Police Department Auxiliary Detective. Chuck is a retired Indiana State Police Captain where he served for over 25 years.  He received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University Bloomington and earned an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.   He is a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Economic Crime Forensic Examiner.
Mr. Cohen was appointed to the Commission in September of 2020 to September 2026.

Troy D Helman of Fort Wayne, Indiana is VP/Commercial Manager for Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group with over 60 locations in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.  Troy, and his wife Bernice, owned and operated their own brokerage company which was founded in 1968.  Troy has held a real estate license in Indiana since 1984 and is licensed in Illinois.  Troy holds a CCIM designation as well as a B.S. degree from Indiana State University.  Troy recently served as Chair of the Indiana Real Estate Commission and also serves on the Indiana State University Foundation Board and Hospice/VNA board.
Mr. Helman was appointed to the Commission in September of 2025 to September 2029.

L. Scott Pejic of Valparaiso is an attorney and the president of Pejic Law Group, P.C. located in Michigan City. Mr. Pejic is a 1996 graduate of Valparaiso University with a B.S. in Science and a 1999 graduate of Valparaiso University School of Law. He serves as a member on the LaPorte County Public Defender Board. He was also one of the founding members as the defense representative of the LaPorte County Problem Solving Court.
Mr. Pejic was appointed to the Commission in September of 2025 to September 2029.

B.R. Lane is a native of Gary, Indiana, where she has led an independent strategic consulting practice since 2016. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A. from the Fogelman School of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis, where she was recognized as a FedEx Emerging Technology Scholar. B.R. brings deep expertise in the gaming industry, grounded in senior leadership experience across both the private and public sectors. In Las Vegas, Nevada, she managed gaming regulatory compliance for the world’s largest supplier of casino gaming machines and systems. In that role, she led a team of analysts responsible for more than four hundred privileged gaming licenses. She has worked directly with the gaming industry’s most rigorous gaming regulatory agencies, helped shape and execute regulatory strategy for new products, managed complex and highly confidential licensing and suitability investigations, and secured regulatory approvals for significant corporate transactions.  Lane also has leadership experience in public policy and public administration. She was previously appointed by IL Governor Bruce Rauner to lead one of the nation’s largest public lottery organizations where she managed a multibillion-dollar budget and negotiated the termination of a failed private management agreement. She has also served as Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff for the City of Gary, overseeing all city functions, policies, and projects, and later as the Executive Director of the Gary/Chicago International Airport, where she negotiated the large-scale relocation of three Class I railroads to enable completion of the airport’s $200 million runway expansion. Ms. Lane was appointed to the Commission in May of 2026 to April 2029.

Eric R. Williams is Senior Vice President and Senior Manager of Security Services Delivery for Old National Bank, headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. Prior to joining Old National in 2014, Eric dedicated more than 25 years to public safety with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, where he was elected to serve two terms as the Vanderburgh County Sheriff, beginning in 2007 and 2011.  Eric is a graduate of Castle High School in Warrick County and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern Indiana.  Deeply committed to civic leadership, Eric has served on numerous local non-profit and government boards. His current community involvement includes serving as a board and commission member for the Evansville Vanderburgh County Public Library Board, the Evansville Vanderburgh Building Commission, the American Red Cross of Southwestern Indiana, and the Vanderburgh County Fire Department Merit Commission.
Mr. Williams was appointed to the Commission in May of 2026 to April 2029.

The Indiana Gaming Commission is composed of seven individuals appointed by the Governor for staggered three-year terms. One member must be from a county contiguous to Lake Michigan and one must be from a county contiguous to the Ohio River. No more than four members may be affiliated with the same political party.

One member must be experienced in law enforcement, one must be a certified public accountant, and one must be an attorney. All must have a reasonable knowledge of the practices, procedures and principles of gambling.