People news 20/09/12
A round up of industry moves from the last week (14 September to 20 September 2012)
Exclusive: Virtue Fusion CEO resigns
Aaron Johnson, chief executive of Playtech’s B2B bingo arm Virtue Fusion, resigns but Israeli company understood to be prepared to offer him financially lucrative position to retain his services.
Aaron Johnson, chief executive of Playtech’s B2B bingo arm Virtue Fusion, has resigned, with the Israeli company understood to be prepared to offer him a more financially lucrative position in order to retain his services, eGaming Review can exclusively reveal.
Johnson, one of founder and majority shareholder Teddy Sagi’s closest advisors and executives, is understood to have resigned and left the business last week following an alleged “falling out” with Sagi, a source close to the matter told eGR.
eGR has since learned, however that the software supplier is considering offering him another so far unspecified role in order to keep him on board.
Johnson has worked with Sagi and has been with the company for close to nine years in a number of roles. He was described by one source as one of the “powers behind the throne” at Playtech leading its bingo business and behind some of its most lucrative licensee wins in the last two years.
Lipparelli to leave Nevada Gaming Control Board
Mark Lipparelli is to step down from his position as chairman of Nevada’s Gaming Control Board at the end of the month, eGR North America can reveal.
His departure on 28 September after almost two years in the role is expected to be confirmed later today, however there is as yet no indication as to what his next move might be.
Since his appointment as chairman of the GCB by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval in January 2011 “ the first change in the panel’s chairmanship since 2001 “ Lipparelli has been an instrumental figure in placing Nevada at the front of the pack in terms of online gambling regulation in the United States.
While he has yet to decide his next move, it is understood that Lipparelli has already been approached by a number of gaming companies. No announcement is expected to be made until the former Bally Technologies executive has left his current role.
Seven days in people moves:
New CEO for Veikkaus
Finland’s government-owned lottery and betting operator Veikkaus has appointed Juha Koponen as its new chief executive.
Koponen most recently served as CEO of Tamro Corporation, a healthcare and pharmaceutical distributor which serves the Baltic and Nordic markets and Poland.
He has also had spells as CFO of the group and managing director of Tamro Finland, while he also had a spell as director of finance and IT, Europe for multinational technology company PerkinElmer.
Scientific Games recruits former OPAP advisor
Scientific Games has appointed former OPAP advisor Kevin Anderson as its new vice-president of international business development for the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
Having been responsible for managing Greek monopoly OPAP’s 2bn sports betting business for more than six years, Anderson will now focus on expanding Scientific Games’ lottery business, including instant tickets, lottery systems, video lottery systems and interactive gaming.
His appointment is intended to further strengthen the lottery and gaming specialist’s global presence and enhance the execution of its growth initiatives, the company said in a statement.
Matchbook parts ways with sponsored poker pro Trickett
Poker pro Sam Trickett, third on the all-time money list, has ended his sponsorship deal with betting exchange operator Matchbook by mutual consent.
Trickett signed up with the operator ahead of this summer’s World Series of Poker (WSOP), during which he won more than US$10m in the ‘Big One for One Drop’ $1m buy-in charity tournament, having ended his previous deal with TitanPoker in May.
He also represented Matchbook during the last month’s Macau High Stakes Challenge, where he won just shy of $1m for a seventh-place finish.
Former WagerWorks vice president Simon Grieve has joined fantasy sports business Fantasy League to help drive strategic development. The company already has white-label deals with the likes of The Sun and William Hill alongside its B2C fantasyleague.com offering.
888 has agreed sponsorship deals with three players at this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event final table. Americans Jesse Sylvia, Russell Thomas and Jake Balsiger will represent the operator at next month’s World Series of Poker Europe, ahead of their appearance in the ‘October Nine’.