People round-up 09/02/12
A round up of industry moves from the last week (03 February to 09 February 2012).
Andrew Lee rejoins Hills as chief troubleshooter
Ralph Topping tempts former employee and City analyst back to bookmaker to troubleshoot underperforming parts of the business.
William Hill CEO Ralph Topping has tempted his former strategic development advisor and experienced City equity analyst Andrew Lee back to the bookmaker to take up a newly created role designed to trouble shoot underperforming areas of the business.
Lee, currently a travel and leisure equity analyst at Jeffries & Company where he has served just a year, is one of the most highly rated forecasters in the gaming sector. He has more than 10 years City experience primarily focused on both the offline and online gambling industries and is known to have been on Topping’s radar ever since he left in April 2010. It is not known when he will leave Jeffries and rejoin Hills.
Although no official job title has been given, his prime objective when rejoining the Leeds and Gibraltar based business, alongside its turbulent online joint venture with Playtech, will be to effectively work as a senior management consultant and resolve issues surrounding underperforming parts of the company.
William Hill has a call option on its online JV with Playtech next year and is thought to be currently considering its options on whether or not to lodge a bid for its partner’s 29% share in the highly profitable venture.
New G2 chief pledges to reclaim leading supplier spot
Walter Bugno has admitted that since GTECH G2 was formed from the acquisition of four gaming suppliers two years ago it has been too internally focused but that he is determined to “reclaim the leading positions it once had” following the merger of Lottomatica’s land-based and online divisions in October.
In an interview in the forthcoming March issue of eGaming Review, the new president and CEO of SPIELO International and GTECH G2 and former CEO of the casino division of Australian monopoly Tabcorp, told eGR that since taking up the dual role he has been travelling the globe assessing the business and is now confident it can re-emerge as a major force to be reckoned with.
Almost five years ago GTECH undertook a multi-million dollar acquisition spree buying sports betting supplier Finsoft; interactive betting developer Dynamite Idea; poker and casino software provider Boss Media; bingo white label business St Minver and used this as the basis with which to form G2, its end-to-end online gaming supplier business.
Campos and Elie file new motions to dismiss
John Campos and Chad Elie, two of the defendants named in the Black Friday indictments, have filed new motions to dismiss in light of December’s Wire Act clarification.
Lawyers for the two alleged payment processors argue the clarification demonstrates that the Illegal Gambling Business Act (IGBA) “Does not apply to poker”, and that the apparent change of position on the legislation from the US government “highlights the vagueness of IGBA and UIGEA and supports the dismissal of those counts.”
Elie’s representation for the latest motion, New York law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, was brought in by the indictee in place of former attorneys William Cowden LLC in January.
Paf deputy CEO stands down
Paf’s deputy chief executive Thomas “Pitchi” Lundberg has announced he will step down from his position to become CEO and senior director of Crosskey, the largest subsidiary of the Bank of à land group.
Lundberg, or “Pitchi” as he is known within the company after former Barcelona football player Pichi Alonzo due to both men sharing the same middle name, will leave Paf at the end of March with Anders Wiklund, currently head of consumer experience, taking over his position. Wiklund has been at the business since 2007.
Paf was founded more than 35 years ago in à land and today has more than 100 games online, 1,300 machines and 40 gaming tables on ships and at the Paf Casino in à land. The Bank of à land has 30 branches across Finland and Sweden with around 90,000 retail and private banking customers. à land, the smallest region of Finland with less than 30,000 inhabitants.
Responsible Gambling Trust announces new CEO
Marc Etches has been appointed chief executive of the Responsible Gambling Trust, the group has announced.
The charitable organisation will be formed by the merger of the Responsible Gambling Fund and the GREaT Foundation and will be launched in April 2012, and will look to minimise problem gambling in the United Kingdom through player education and prevention techniques. Etches is currently CEO of the GREaT Foundation, and will oversee the fundraising and commissioning roles of the new body.
Ihre Consulting appoints new marketing director
Ihre Consulting has appointed former Pocket Kings affiliate manager Tomas Eliasson as its marketing director.
Eliasson previously held affiliate marketing positions at Betsson, Poker Host, Stan James and Ladbrokes, and left Pocket Kings in September 2010 after two years with the company. He has been recruited to establish relationships with potential customers and strengthen ties with existing clients, which include Ladbrokes, 888, Referback and myBet.com.
Poker player Will Failla has joined Chris Moorman in becoming a spokesman for poker insurance tool Bubble Protection, a service which safeguards players’ players’ tournament entry fees and bankrolls. One-time World Poker Tour champion Failla has said he will “proudly endorse” the product, and spoke of his hopes of being able to use Bubble Protection in a regulated US market.
Betfair Poker is organising a charity tournament for poker player Thor Hansen, who has been diagnosed with cancer. The tournament will raise money for the Thor Hansen Fund, set up by poker players to help pay the Norwegian’s medical bills.
Email any new moves to t.victor@egrmagazine.com with the subject line ‘eGR People Moves’.