People moves 26/01/12
A round-up of the key industry moves from the past week (13 January - 19 January 2012).
Second Betclic co-founder leaves
Eric Moncada latest high-profile exit with more departures expected as operator continues to cut costs and restructure.
Betclic’s sole surviving co-founder Eric Moncada has left the business just four months after his former business partner Nicolas Beraud, eGR can reveal, while up to five more executives are understood to be close to following them as its new CEO looks to cut costs and restructure the business. Six of the operator’s senior personnel have left in the last five months, five of these in the last eight weeks alone.
eGaming Review understands that Eric Moncada, Betclic co-founder and product development and innovation director and CTO Pierrick Pétain have both left the operator. Pétain has left the company after less than two years as CTO, while Moncada, group CTO until June 2010, leaves after almost six years having co-founded Betclic with Beraud in 2006, but is not thought to own a stake in the company. Neither were available for comment.
The high-profile exits come after new CEO Ignacio Martos oversaw a restructuring of the group late last year, also resulting in Betclic Expekt CEO Thomas Winter’s departure in December.
Seven days in people moves:
Probert leaves IGT for Bally Interactive
IGT client services director Michael Probert has left the company to take up a role with gaming technology manufacturer Bally Technologies.
Probert joins Bally as European general manager for interactive after seven years with IGT, before which he spent three years as UK manager for Flipside Gaming. His departure comes within days of IGT’s acquisition of social gaming operator Double Down Interactive in a deal worth up to $500m.
GeoComply appoints operations manager for North America
Geolocation company GeoComply Ltd has appointed Lindsay Kininmonth as operations manager for North America.
Kininmonth joins the company from TST, a Gaming Laboratories International subsidiary, and will work with regulators, suppliers and operators in the US egaming sector.
The appointment follows the Department of Justice’s clarification that the Wire Act does not affect online poker and non-egaming sports, announced in December.
The Hoff adds name to OpenBet slot
An eGR-exclusive Q&A with Baywatch and Knight Rider star David Hasselhoff, the latest celebrity to put his name to an online gambling product in conjunction with OpenBet.
Former PokerStars pro and World Series of Poker champion Joe Hachem has signed up with Asian Logic. Hachem, the highest-earning Australian player in history, said: “I considered offers from several other brands, but this Partnership was the best fit for me as it gave me an active role and the ability to participate as the Businesses evolves.”
Former UK ambassador to Denmark Sir James Mellon has been appointed to the board of betinternet operator Webis Holdings as a non-executive director. The 82-year-old replaces his son Jim, after the latter spent eight yeard on the board of the company.
Email any new moves to t.victor@egrmagazine.com with the subject line ‘eGR People Moves’.