People news 07 June 2012
A round up of industry moves from the last week (01 June May to 07 June 2012).
Ladbrokes confirms head of trading dismissal
Jon Thompson dismissed due to “alleged fraud” “ second employee suspended.
Ladbrokes’ head of trading Jon Thompson has been dismissed pending appeal the operator has confirmed, with media reports suggesting the sacking is related to “alleged fraud,” while a second employee has been suspended pending an internal hearing.
British newspaper The Daily Mail reports the dismissal comes over concerns of how Thompson was running the operator’s trading department and that he is thought to have been linked to the “setting up of a rogue account in which bets were placed at favourable prices “¦ [The] transactions that are under investigation could add up to a significant sum but the police are not involved,” the paper reported.
A second employee has also been suspended, though a spokesman for Ladbrokes told eGaming Review their identity would not be revealed until the “HR process” had been completed. The spokesman went on to confirm that the individual was also part of the trading department and that no other employees were involved in the situation.
An analyst note from Simon French of Panmure Gordon this morning described the dismissal as “clearly disappointing news” which “calls into question the structure of the business which moved away from a divisional approach to a competency- or discipline-based one some 12 months ago.”
Levy steps down from 888 board
Former 888 chief executive Gigi Levy has stepped down from the operator’s board, where he served as a non-executive director, with immediate effect.
After relinquishing his post as CEO in April 2011 he remained on the board to devote time to the search for his successor, a process which culminated in the internal appointment of Brian Mattingley to the role on a full-time basis earlier this year.
Levy has focused on a number of investments in the last 13 months including many in the social gaming space. Chief among these is Playtika, the Israeli developer behind successful Facebook slots app Slotomania, which was sold to Caesars for an eventual nine-figure sum last year.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups
Caesars CFO Halkyard leaves
Caesars Entertainment has announced its CFO Jonathan Halkyard is to leave the company to pursue an opportunity outside the gambling industry.
Having joined Harrah’s in 1999, Halkyard has played a number of key operations and finance roles.
Matchbook announces WSOP pro team
Exchange betting operator Matchbook has announced its 10-strong team of sponsored pros for this summer’s World Series of Poker (WSOP).
The team includes two WSOP bracelet winners, Matt Perrins and JP Kelly, with the latter already having made the final table in the first open event of this year’s series.
GTECH and Lottomatica Group subsidiary Northstar Lottery Group has appointed Marco Tasso as its new chief executive. Tasso had previously been involved in Lottomatica’s Italian operations, and his appointment sees former Northstar CEO Connie Laverty O’Connor return to her post of GTECH CMO.
Fortuna Entertainment Group (FEG) has announced the appointment of Radim Haluza as group CEO, replacing interim chief executive Wilf Walsh, who has taken over as chairman of the board. Haluza previously served as CEO of Žabka, a retail chain which was acquired by Tesco in March last year.