Kindred hires BetBright’s Blanco as head of casino

Kindred Group has appointed BetBright’s director of casino, Cristiano Blanco, as head of casino for the operator’s entire portfolio of B2C brands, EGR Intel has learned.

Blanco joined the Stockholm-listed operator earlier this week and, reporting into head of gaming Fredrik Kjell, will head up the casino vertical for Unibet, Maria, Stan James, iGame and Bingo.com.

He replaces Kindred Group’s former head of casino, Adam Ruffett, who EGR Intel revealed last year had left the firm to lead Tabcorp’s UK-facing Sun Casino product.

Kindred’s new head of casino joins from Irish operator BetBright where he worked for more than two years in senior gaming and sportsbook roles.

“Over the last years we have enjoyed very satisfying growth and have taken our time to find the perfect candidate to head the Group’s casino offering,” Fredrik Kjell, head of gaming at Kindred Group, told EGR Intel.

“In Cristiano we found a leader with profound casino knowledge and an understanding of how to create a long term sustainable value proposition to our customers.

“In addition to proven success and casino experience, Cristiano brings a lot of energy and innovative ideas that I am sure will benefit our customers and the Group.”

Blanco, who will be based in Unibet’s Malta office, previously worked as online casino manager at Globalclick following roles at Everest Poker and LaMultipla.

EGR Intel understands BetBright has yet to replace Blanco.