People news 26 June 2014
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (20 June to 26 June 2014)
Gala Interactive appoints Fell as mobile product manager
Robert Fell switches roles after six months as product and operations manager to head up mobile development
Gala Coral’s product and operations manager Robert Fell has switched roles after just six months, becoming the Gibraltar-based firm’s new mobile product manager.
Fell initially joined the firm from Paddy Power in January this year to work on its casino products, reporting to Gala Coral’s director of casino and games Kasper Trier-Poulsen.
He will now head up mobile product management across all of Gala Interactive’s brands, taking ownership of the mobile and tablet products across bingo, casino, poker and sports betting.
He will report directly to Itay Fisher, product and technology director at the group’s Gala Interactive division.
PokerStars head of social Buser departs
PokerStars’ director of social gaming Mark Buser has left after one year at the Isle of Man-based operator, eGaming Review has learned.
A spokesperson for PokerStars confirmed the “recent” departure of Buser, who joined the operator last April, and said the company was “actively looking” for a replacement.
The firm launched its first social casino product, PokerStars PLAY, on Facebook last February which is currently still in beta and has over 100,000 monthly users.
Seven days in people news:
PokerStars HQ to remain in Isle of Man
PokerStars has confirmed it will retain its Isle of Man headquarters following the proposed takeover by Canadian firm Amaya Gaming, stating it will make no redundancies and expects to increase its headcount on the island.
Earlier this month gaming supplier Amaya agreed a US$4.9bn deal to acquire PokerStars parent company the Rational Group in what is set to be the biggest acquisition in egaming history.
Amaya is based in Montreal and despite press statements by PokerStars’ stating its commitment to the island there are ongoing questions over the fate of Rational’s operations on the Isle of Man where it employs over 200 people.
888 to review Luis Suarez sponsorship
888 is “seriously reviewing” its sponsorship deal with Luis Suarez after FIFA launched an investigation into an alleged biting incident involving the Uruguay forward during last night’s World Cup match versus Italy.
Suarez, who plays his club football with Liverpool, recently signed a deal to become 888poker’s global ambassador in an agreement which would see the footballer take part in various branding initiatives during this summer’s tournament and beyond.
However, the future of this relationship is now in doubt after television pictures from the crucial group game appeared to show Suarez bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder in an off-the-ball clash.