People news 15/11/12
A round-up of industry moves from the last week (9 November to 15 November 2012).
Betfair UK MD leaves as “massive restructure” begins
Peter Marcus’s exit, combined with Germany and underperforming markets withdrawals, part of company-wide restructure – number of other redundancies and market closures will soon be announced eGR learns.
Betfair’s UK managing director, Peter Marcus, responsible for more than 50% of the exchange’s overall revenue, has left the business with immediate effect as newly installed chief executive Breon Corcoran continues to trim the size of the operation and focus on regulated markets.
eGaming Review has learned that Marcus’s exit, combined with the news last week that the exchange has withdrawn from Germany as well as a number of other underperforming unregulated grey markets, is part of an ongoing restructure of the entire business and that a number of other redundancies and market closures will soon be announced.
eGR also understands that Marcus’s role will no longer exist in its current form and is likely to be folded into another executive’s job description.
Betfair cuts staff in underperforming markets
Betfair has made around 50 redundancies across help desk and customer service staff as it reduces some of its language options in “less attractive” markets, eGaming Review has learned.
Customers in a number of unspecified territories in Asia, the Nordics and Eastern Europe were told last week that their respective language options would close down permanently after the exchange operator carried out a recent market audit.
eGR has learned that the markets in question were no longer attractive and the decision was taken to immediately shut them down and halt investment. The maintenance of these services is thought to have far outweighed their profitability, however a number of customers remain active, eGR understands.
Seven days in people moves:
bwin.party co-CEO detained in Belgium
Norbert Teufelberger, co-chief executive of bwin.party and chairman of the European and Bettting and Gaming Association (EGBA) has been detained by Belgian police at the lobby group’s annual Responsible Gaming Day in Brussels in the early part of this afternoon.
eGaming Review understands Teufelberger is being held in relation to the operator’s continuing activities in Belgium, where it continues to serve players despite seeing two of its domains being added to the country’s blacklist for unlicensed operators.
eGR also understands that Teufelberger was permitted to conclude his closing statement at the event before being brought in for questioning, at which point he will be asked to justify bwin.party’s continued dot.com operation in the EU member state.
Teufelberger released after Belgian questioning
Norbert Teufelberger, co-CEO of bwin.party, has been released by Belgian authorities and is now “on his way home” after being questioned this afternoon on the operator’s activities in the EU country.
The Austrian had been detained this afternoon following his appearance at the European Gaming and Betting Association’s (EGBA) Responsible Gaming Day, after giving his closing speech in his role as EGBA chairman.
Following his release, Teufelberger has agreed to convene the board of the operator in order for a formal decision to be made over whether to continue serving customers in the country where two of its dot.com domains are blacklisted.
Zynga undergoes executive reshuffle as CFO departs
Zynga has announced a series of changes to its executive team, with chief financial officer David Wehner departing for what is described as “a senior finance position” at Facebook.
Wehner will be replaced as CFO by Mark Vranesh, currently chief accounting officer, who returns to the role which he held from May 2008 to August 2010. Previously Vranesh served as vice president of finance and administration, and corporate controller, of network security business Fortinet.
Among the other executives to take on new roles are chief mobile officer David Ko, who replaces John Schappert as Zynga’s COO (a position he was originally rumoured to be taking on in August this year). Barry Cottle has been promoted from executive vice president of business and corporate development to chief revenue officer “ a role previously held by Jeff Karp prior to his departure “ and Steven Chiang becomes president of games, having formerly held the title of executive vice president of games.
Joe Hall has been named vice president of gaming at Skrill, having previously served as the payments company’s head of corporate account management for gaming. Hall will now be responsible for gaming B2B & B2C sales, account management and operations.
Poker triple crown winner Jake Cody is no longer a sponsored pro for PKR, having parted ways with the operator after the end of his one-year contract. Cody, who signed up with the site last November, has more than US$3m in career earnings.