Susan Hensel

Susan Hensel was named one of the Ten Most Influential Women in gaming by iGaming Business in 2020.  She is Past President of the International Association of Gaming Regulators having served in that position for two terms.  She recently stepped down from the association’s Board of Trustees and previously served as Vice-President and Secretary.  Susan also sits on the Advisory Board of the All-In-Diversity Project, an industry-driven not-for-profit initiative to benchmark diversity, equality and inclusion in the global gaming industry.

Susan is a frequent speaker on gaming law and regulation and has spoken throughout the world including in North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.  She has also published articles on gaming regulation and has collaborated with gaming regulators around the globe.  She is among the best known and respected U.S. regulators on an international stage.

Prior to co-founding Hensel Grad P.C., Susan Hensel was Director of Licensing for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.  Susan was the first employee of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and helped build gaming from the ground up in what is today the second largest gaming market in the U.S.

As Licensing Director, she oversaw the licensing, suitability and compliance of the individuals and entities involved in the state’s casinos, online gaming sites and retail and sports wagering providers as well as other gaming verticals.  Susan was at the table crafting policy, regulations, and applications from day one of the agency through multiple gaming expansions that added table games, online gaming, sports wagering, VGTs and fantasy contests to Pennsylvania’s menu of gaming offerings.

When Pennsylvania became the fourth state in the country to authorize online gaming, Susan served as agency lead.  As Director, Susan oversaw the licensing of more than 100,000 entities and individuals in Pennsylvania.

Susan is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and International Association of Gaming Advisors. Before joining the Gaming Board, Susan worked on gaming implementation issues for the Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue, an ex-officio member of the Gaming Control Board.  Previously, Susan served in executive level positions with Pennsylvania state government, including serving as an Assistant General Counsel in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel.

Before entering state government, Susan was a television news reporter in Pennsylvania. She earned her J.D. degree from Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Pennsylvania, where she graduated cum laude and was on the staff of the school’s law review.  Susan is an adjunct professor at the Widener University Commonwealth Law School where she teaches Gaming Law and Regulation.

Susan is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania.