Bwin.party head of poker to be replaced by PokerStars exec
Chris Welch to depart his role at bwin.party next month, with PokerStars' Jeffrey Haas to replace him as head of poker
Bwin.party head of poker Chris Welch is to leave the company next month to be replaced by PokerStars director of strategy and business development Jeffrey Haas.
Jeffrey Haas joins from PokerStars where he has headed up the recent mobile and social launches and will work alongside Welch prior to his departure.
Welch will continue to oversee the relaunch of bwin.party’s poker product, which is currently in beta testing ahead of a launch later this month. The overhaul of the poker product was announced in August 2012 and originally slated to launch in Q1 this year, but has been delayed.
Bwin’s poker offering has struggled as of late, with double-digit drops in revenue recorded in Q1 continuing into Q2. The company’s Q2 trading update considered revenues to be “softer than expected”, with CEO Norbert Teufelberger highlighting new product launches and entry into the New Jersey market as reasons to anticipate a return to growth.
Welch joined the company, then PartyGaming, in 2009 after leaving Centrebet, taking up the role of chief marketing officer. He retained that role following the company’s merger with bwin in March 2011 before moving to head bwin.party’s poker business six months later.
Haas has previously worked for bwin, holding the position of director of management for the Ongame poker network between 2005 and 2006 before joining PokerStars where he oversaw its live poker operations.