Geoff Freeman leaves his post as AGA's President and CEO

 Geoff Freeman, who has led the gaming industry’s fight to bring nationwide sports wagering across the country, will take the helm of the Grocery Manufacturers Association on Aug. 1., Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. He has presided over the AGA for the past five years and has been only the second person to lead it.

Freeman is expected to remain with the AGA, the primary trade association representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, until late July and will participate in the board-led succession planning process.

"The AGA accomplished many important successes during Geoff’s tenure, most notably the recent Supreme Court ruling declaring the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act unconstitutional, a decision that paves the way for legalized sports betting in the U.S.," Tim Wilmott, CEO of Penn National Gaming Inc., and the chairman of AGA’s board said in an emailed statement issued by the association.

"It is a testament to our industry, as well as to Geoff himself, that GMA would look to gaming as a model for managing through dynamic change and complexity to achieve success in both policy and perceptions," Wilmott said. "Geoff has built a strong board and a strong team. He leaves us well positioned for future success."

Freeman, the former chief operating officer of the U.S. Travel Association that helped develop Brand USA, the public-private effort to increase tourism from abroad, succeeded Frank Fahrenkopf as AGA’s first CEO in 2013.

Fahrenkopf, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, became AGA’s first CEO in 1995 following a legal career that began in Reno.

When Freeman was hired, MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Jim Murren, an AGA board member, said the association rejected a retired elected official in favor of having someone with more tactical experience with lobbying.

AGA's Official Statement

"Geoff Freeman has accepted the position of President and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the leading representative of the $2.1 trillion food industry" said Tim Wilmott in a statement issued by the industry body today. "We anticipate that GMA will announce this change today, June 5."

"I will work with Geoff and my colleagues on the Executive Committee to build a transition plan, launch a CEO search process and solicit a wide variety of opinions as to the type of leader that is the best fit for the AGA of today," he explained. "The formation of this committee does not preclude the possibility of an internal candidate."

The chairman of AGA’s board then highlighted Freedman's role in preventing an IRS effort to decrease the slot tax threshold. "Geoff and his team protected resort fees from a federal government effort to eliminate them in their entirety and building a strong relationship with FinCEN such that the gaming industry is now a model for anti-money laundering compliance."

"I have enjoyed working with Geoff over the last five years and am grateful for his contributions to gaming’s long-term growth and prosperity. I look forward to providing you with more information as we continue forward in the succession process and identify the next Chief Executive of the AGA," Wilmott concluded.