Pavilion Payments Names Diallo Gordon CEO as Company Enters 2026 With Momentum

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Pavilion Payments Names Diallo Gordon CEO as Company Enters 2026 With Momentum

2026-01-07 21:07 Last Updated At：21:30

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 7, 2026--

Pavilion Payments, the gaming industry's leading omnichannel payment solutions provider, today announced that Diallo Gordon is now serving as Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2026. Gordon’s appointment follows a successful 2025, during which the company strengthened operational execution, advanced key initiatives, and expanded customer relationships. Pavilion Payments enters 2026 with strong momentum and an aligned leadership team supporting Gordon in his new role.

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Dan Connors, who has served as CEO since April 2024, has transitioned to the role of Executive Chairman. In this position, he will continue to support Pavilion Payments’ long-term strategy, customer relationships, and corporate development priorities while working closely with Gordon and the senior leadership team.

Gordon joined Pavilion Payments in January 2025 as President, bringing nearly 30 years of leadership experience across innovation, technology, defense, gaming, and payments. He has held roles at Passport Technology, Phi Gaming, Everi Holdings, Aristocrat Technologies, and the Mississippi Gaming Commission, and earlier served in the United States Air Force supporting space and weapons research for the Department of Defense, NASA, and NATO.

At Pavilion Payments, Gordon has overseen sales, marketing, product strategy, and innovation. In his first year with the company, he played a key role in accelerating development initiatives, enhancing operational performance, and strengthening organizational alignment. As CEO, he will continue to drive growth, deepen operator partnerships, and guide Pavilion Payments’ strategic direction across the gaming ecosystem.

“Diallo is an extraordinarily talented executive and one of the finest leaders I have worked with,” said Dan Connors, Executive Chairman of Pavilion Payments. “His deep industry knowledge, engineering background, customer-first mindset, and passion for innovation make him uniquely suited to lead Pavilion Payments forward. We accomplished a great deal in 2025, and I have complete confidence in Diallo and the strong leadership team supporting him as we enter 2026.”

“I am honored to serve as CEO of Pavilion Payments,” said Diallo Gordon. “We have a world-class team, a strong foundation, and a shared commitment to delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and their patrons. After a successful 2025, we are well-positioned for 2026, and I look forward to continuing our work together to advance Pavilion’s leadership in the gaming payments ecosystem.”

Connors remains a full-time member of Pavilion’s senior leadership team as Executive Chairman, focusing on strategic direction, long-range initiatives, customer engagement, and M&A activity while supporting Gordon through the transition and beyond.

About Pavilion Payments

Pavilion Payments enables the world’s gaming entertainment leaders to create exceptional consumer experiences and maximize spend across physical and digital properties. As the industry’s leading omnichannel payment solutions provider, Pavilion delivers integrated software and funding options that make it easy for players to fund play, access winnings, and manage transactions securely.

With a full suite of cashless, digital, and in-person payment technologies, Pavilion Payments helps operators enhance the guest experience, streamline operations, and drive growth across the gaming ecosystem.

For more information, visit pavilionpayments.com.

Hochul and Mamdani to unveil free child care plan in New York City

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City parents may soon have access to free child care for their 2-year-olds, under a plan set to be unveiled Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The two Democrats are expected to detail the program at a news conference Thursday morning, along with a pledge from Hochul to pursue a wider, statewide child care initiative.

“There’s one thing that every family in New York can agree on, the cost of childcare is simply too high,” Hochul said in a statement, adding that she is “proud to partner with Mayor Mamdani and leaders across our state to make this a reality, turning that foundation into a concrete roadmap that will transform the lives of working parents and kids across our state.”

For Mamdani, the announcement is the first step in fulfilling one of his trademark campaign promises, marking a major boon for the mayor just days after he took office with the promise of implementing a transformative agenda centered on making the city a more affordable place to live.

“This victory represents much more than a triumph of city and state government working in partnership — it is proof that when New Yorkers come together, we can transform the way government serves working families,” he said in a statement.

Hochul, a moderate who is up for reelection this year, has been politically aligned with the city's new progressive mayor on his plan to offer free child care in the city, though questions remained on how the program could take shape.

In a statement provided by the governor's office, Hochul said she is committing to funding the first two years of the city's free child care program for 2-year-olds, describing it as an expansion of the city's existing pre-K program.

The first year will focus on “high-need areas” selected by the city, then expand across the city by its fourth year, according to the statement.

Additionally, Hochul's office said she will work to expand access to universal pre-K statewide, with the goal of having the program available throughout New York by the start of the 2028-29 school year.