People news 24 April 2014
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (18 April to 23 April 2014)
Bwin.party receives SpringOwl board nominations
Operator’s second largest investor set to gain board representation after making four proposals to the board
Bwin.party investor group SpringOwl has moved to increase its influence in the running of the operator following its nomination of four independent non-executive directors to the board.
According to The Telegraph, SpringOwl, which is led by former gaming analyst Jason Ader (pictured), has proposed the appointments of entrepreneur Michael Fertik, lawyer Francis Grady, venture capitalist Kalendu Patel and Innovation Group founder Steven Rittvo.
Rittvo is the only nomination to have any notable gaming experience.
In a statement bwin.party said it would be “circulating the details” of the investment firm’s board nominations to shareholders in time for its Annual General Meeting on 22 May.
Betfair appoints Brooker to new COO role
Betfair has promoted its former head of sports betting Mark Brooker to the newly created role of chief operating officer (COO), eGaming Review can reveal.
Brooker took up his new position earlier this month after working as managing director of the company’s sportsbook division for more than a year and previously corporate development director for almost three years.
Betfair confirmed Brooker will now be responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the operator’s portfolio of exchange, sportsbook and gaming products.
Seven days in people news:
Ultimate Gaming CMO Versaci exits
Ultimate Gaming’s chief marketing officer Joe Versaci will step down from his role at the online operator later this monthafter two years in the role.
Versaci was part of the team that saw Ultimate Gaming become the first licensed online poker operator to go live in Nevada in April last year.
He was also played a central role in devising and implementing Ultimate’s marketing strategy in New Jersey following the launch of its ultimatepoker.com and ucasino.com sites with land-based partner Trump Taj Mahal.
“Now that both brands are live I am starting to be drawn to other challenges and it felt like the right time to move on,” Versaci told eGR North America.
Dutch gaming lawyer arrested in Sheriff Gaming case
A Dutch gaming lawyer working on behalf of the troubled Sheriff Gaming has been arrested in relation to allegations of fraud, forgery and money laundering brought against Sheriff’s parent company Bubble Group.
The 49-year-old, named as Annette M. in the Dutch press, was taken into custody last week and is accused of aiding and abetting criminal activity relating to fraudulent online casino sites.
The news follows months of speculation relating to Bubble Group and its CEO Stijn Flapper who was accused of money laundering and questioned by police in November last year.
IGT has appointed e-commerce veteran Will Daugherty as the general manager of its social casino business DoubleDown Interactive.
Daugherty, who joins from his role as vice president of Amazon Payments, will oversee the day-to-day management of DoubleDown and is tasked with growing revenue and player base while expanding distribution platforms.
“We’re excited about the addition of Will Daugherty as general manager for DoubleDown Interactive. Will’s expertise enhances our leadership and business management capabilities,” said IGT chief executive Patti Hart. “Having a seasoned executive with a strong background in e-commerce and mobile will add valuable experience as we take DoubleDown to the next level,” she added.