People news 25/04/13
The latest people moves from the egaming industry in the last seven days (19 April to 25 April 2013)
Coates family leads egaming rich list with £925m fortune
Bet365 founders’ assets grow £125m year-on-year, Betfred founders up £150m
Peter, Denise and John Coates – the family behind Power 50 operator bet365 – remain the richest egaming figures for the third consecutive year with a combined fortune of £925m.
The Coates family are the only online gambling figures on the top 100 of the Sunday Times’ annual Rich List, dropping one place to 93rd nationwide despite their worth increasing by 15.6% year-on-year. According to the newspaper, bet365 itself is worth £800m with the remaining £125m attributed to “other assets” held by the Coates family.
They are among 11 gambling-related individuals [or groups of individuals] in the top 1000 richest people in the United Kingdom. Three further entries on the list have seen their fortunes grow in the last 12 months, including Betfair investor Richard Koch, one of two shareholders sounded out by CVC Partners regarding the £900m+ bid which the operator turned down on Monday.
Alchemy Bet CEO to speak at free eGR webinar
James Harrison, CEO of mobile casino operator Alchemy Bet has been confirmed as a speaker at the free and exclusive eGaming Review webinar on director operator billing on 2 May.
This free webinar will give operators the chance to debate the development of direct operator billing, and examine how it can drive revenue for an egaming business.
Alchemy Bet is a UK-based firm that creates slots and casino games for mobile and tablets, and is the company behind the Pocket Fruity mobile casino.
Seven days in people news:
Playtech and 12Bet veteran Izhar Biran has joined Bodog Asia as its marketing operations director. He will be based in the Philippines.
“The growth in the region is well-documented but unlike so many other parts of the world the curve is still very much upward and I hope my input can help continue that trend for Bodog Asia,” Biran said.
Peter Jackson, chief executive of foreign exchange business Travelex, has joined Betfair as a non-executive director.
Jackson has previously held roles with Lloyds, HBOS and McKinsey. He has joined the board with immediate effect and will also sit on the operator’s audit committee.
“Betfair is a unique brand at one of the most exciting stages in its history. I am looking forward to contributing to its continued development,” he said.
Payments provider Skrill has appointed paysafecard CIO Roland Schaar as its new senior vice president of technology. Schaar will remain in his role with paysafecard, which was acquired by Skrill in February.
“Roland’s wealth of knowledge and understanding of the payment technology sector will help shape this exciting next stage of our journey,” said group CEO Siegfried Heimgaertner.