People news 1 August 2013
The latest people moves from the egaming industry in the last seven days (26 July to 1 August 2013)
Dutch Gaming Authority appoints new director
Marja Appelman to replace interim director Peter Plug in September
The Dutch Gaming Authority has appointed Marja Appelman as its new director taking responsibility for leading the move towards regulated online gambling in The Netherlands.
Appelman, who has previously worked at the Dutch Healthcare Authority and the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, will join on 23 September, replacing interim director Peter Plug.
The country published draft egaming regulations in May this year, promising to legalise all products with a target launch date of 1 January 2015. A 20% tax rate is included within the drafts, and from H2 Gambling Capital estimates the country’s online market will be worth 223m by 2015.
The gaming authority has issued a letter to Secretary for Security and Justice Fred Teeven, outlining recommendations to strengthen the bill regarding issues concerning combating gambling addiction, protecting and informing consumers and the prevention of gambling-related illegality and criminality.
Seven days in people news:
Kofert leaves Etruvian amid management shakeup
Former PokerStrategy parent company etruvian Holdings is to part ways with almost its entire senior management team following the decision of co-founder Dominik Kofert to sell his remaining shares in the business to co-founder Enrique Guzman last week.
Etruvian, which employs around 25 staff in Gibraltar, sold PokerStrategy.com to Playtech in a 38.3m bolt-on acquisition deal earlier this month, leaving only the financial trading educational and health businesses which were reportedly running at a hefty loss.
Kofert sold his shares to real-estate entrepreneur and etruvian co-founder Guzman last week after the two held a blind auction for their combined shareholding. It is understood the pair held increasingly contrary visions for the business which led to the decision to part ways.
Guzman immediately set about cutting costs and changes to the management team were among his first moves. Sources close to the matter told eGR that the employees involved were offered to stay within in the business on the condition they took substantial pay cuts.
Mecca, part of The Rank Group, has appointed former Gala Interactive business development director Murray Chisholm as its new digital development director based in the company’s Gibraltar office. Murray was responsible for the re-platforming of galabingo.com onto the Playtech platform during his last tenure and has previously held roles at Victor Chandler and Tribeca Tables Poker.
European compliance firm NMi has appointed Richard d’Souza as managing director of is North American business. Commenting on his new role d’Souza said “it was the customer service ethos of NMi that persuaded” him accept his new role. D’Souza previously worked for NMi in Europe for a number of years.