Online Gambling Executives Moving Around
Wednesday September 7, 2011 : ONLINE GAMBLING EXECUTIVE MOVES
Three major appointments announced this week
Top online gambling executives are on the move this week, with press releases from three companies advising of new appointments and responsibilities.
At Betfair, Peter Marcus has been tapped for the position of UK Director, taking up his duties in October 2011. He'll be responsible for managing and overseeing the company's UK-facing business including the sports exchange, poker and casino products, which together represent just over 50 percent of Betfair's current total revenue.
Marcus owns consulting firm Rock Consulting and is currently the group chief strategy officer at Betclic Everest Group where he has supervised the integration of the company's assets; Betclic, Expekt and Everest. He was subsequently responsible for the strategic direction of the combined business, including coordination of its marketing and product approach across Europe and the move to Gibraltar.
Prior to this, Marcus was well respected as chief operating officer for William Hill Online, a post he vacated in 2009 following a company restructuring. He supervised all operations at the then newly-formed joint venture between William Hill and Playtech, including the supervising of sports book operations, player retention, web design, product development and handling key software supplier relationships. He was also responsible for moving the online functions of the company from the UK to Gibraltar.
Marcus's experience in the industry also includes stints in management positions with Cryptologic Inc and the Fortune Lounge Group, and he has a solid track record heading up customer facing roles at Doubleclick Inc International and the Holidays Division of Rank Group.
Commenting on his appointment this week, Marcus said: "Betfair has been the leader and chief innovator in the betting sector for many years, and as the industry continues to change and progress, so Betfair needs to continue to evolve and offer the customer what they want. The UK is the heart and soul of global sports betting and I want Betfair to continue to benefit from its market leadership position in this country."
Niall Wass, chief commercial officer at Betfair, added: "Peter brings with him a combination of industry experience and an understanding of what makes online businesses tick. He is a natural fit for Betfair and I look forward to working with him to develop our core UK business in an increasingly exciting online marketplace."
The online gambling giant formed by the merger of Party Gaming and Bwin Interactive recently, Bwin.party Digital Entertainment, has named chief marketing officer for poker, Chris Welch, as director of party poker ( party poker download )operations for the group.
Welch, who graduated from Aston University in 1987 with a BSc in marketing management, has been with Party Gaming since 2009, and was in the management structure of the Aussie gambling group Centrebet prior to that as managing director for Europe. He also has marketing management experience with Pinnacle Sports, the Tote and Coral Gala.
Sportingbet has appointed Chris Moss to the board of directors in a non-executive capacity. Moss has a 25-year background in marketing and was previously marketing director for Virgin Atlantic airlines, in addition to running his own business consulting firm, Famoss.
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His technical achievements include the launch of the cell phone brand Orange whilst he was employed by Microtel, a UK mobile telecommunications group, and the launch of the LloydsTSB brand whilst he brand director with the banking group.
Moss replaces Sean O'Connor, who will retire from the Sportingbet board on 16 December 2011.
