IGT

Massimiliano Chiara has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer of International Game Technology that is to be effective from April 6, 2020.

Furthermore, Chiara has also been appointed to IGT’s board of directors effective as of the first IGT board meeting after April 6, 2020, or as of the 2020 AGM, if earlier and subject to shareholder vote.

He joins the firm from CNH Industrial NV, where he most recently served as CFO and chief sustainability officer, as well as also holding various financial and operational roles at Fiat Chrysler.

“We are excited to have Max join the IGT team, both as a member of my senior leadership team and as a board member,” stated Marco Sala, IGT CEO. “His broad and deep background in all facets of global finance and operations, in addition to his high standards of excellence, will be tremendous assets to our organisation.” 

Furthermore, the company has also appointed Beatrice Bassey as an independent director effective March 20, 2020. Bassey is currently group general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary of Atlas Mara. 

W2

Regulatory compliance solutions provider W2 has announced the appointment of Peter Murray to head up their global sales teams, as the industry enters “a challenging period for regulated markets”.

Murray, who was previously head of gaming at GBG and director at Alexem Services, the identity consultancy, comes in to support and drive business across core regulated markets with a focus on the gambling and financial services sectors.

Warren Russell, W2 CEO, explained: “Peter’s experience with operators, regulators and industry stakeholders globally will be invaluable to us as we look to ensure the services we provide evolve to meet the needs of our clients in a rapidly changing world. 

“Identity is no longer static and time stamped but dynamic and ever changing and I believe Peter will provide not only guidance and support as our teams collaborate on our existing solutions, but also help deliver on our ambitious product roadmap and growth plans.

Sportech

International betting technology firm Sportech has revealed that latest strengthening of its ranks after appointing Ben Warn to its board as a non-executive director.

Warn boasts more than 20 years’ experience in senior positions in the betting and gaming industries including UKbetting PLC, Sky Betting and Gaming, and the Perform Group, where he was chief executive of the gaming division. He will join the board on June 1, 2020.

Giles Vardey, non-executive chairman of Sportech, said: “Given the many challenges all businesses in our sector are facing, we are pleased to have Ben Warn joining our board with his broad gambling experience and his online product development and technology expertise.”

William Hill

William Hill has confirmed that Adrian Marsh, the group finance director of DS Smith has informed the company that, given the current unprecedented circumstances, he intends to remain as DS Smith’s GFD and will not now be joining William Hill. 

Ruth Prior, who is currently serving out her notice period, will continue in her role as William Hill’s chief financial officer. The Company has immediately recommenced the search for a new CFO.

Roger Devlin, chairman of the board, commented: “Whilst we note the reasons for Adrian’s decision, William Hill is focussed on taking the necessary steps required in these unprecedented times to protect the interests of its stakeholders. We will provide an update in due course.”

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Lottoland

Lottoland has today announced the appointment of Ciara Lally as chief legal and compliance officer. She will join the Lottoland executive team and be responsible for legal, compliance and regulatory affairs.

Lally recently held various senior roles over the past nine years, most recently as group IP counsel, with previous experience gain at the likes of Bwin and BetVictor.

“I’m really pleased to be joining the Lottoland team and can’t wait to meet everyone and get stuck in. Having been based in Gibraltar, I’ve been able to watch Lottoland launch and develop and I really admire how they have done so in such a regulated and competitive environment. I look forward to helping deliver the strategy and seeing the business grow.” – Lally

“I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Ciara as our new Chief Legal and Compliance Officer. Ciara brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Lottoland, that we will benefit from as we grow and deliver our strategy.” – Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland

ARC 

Arena Racing Company has announced the appointments of Bradley Hunt as chief finance officer and Alex Slade as general council as they form part of the senior management team.

Hunt joins from Collinson Group, where he is currently finance director. His previous senior roles include Cinime, Pias Entertainment Group and Rapp. 

Slade joins ARC from Eleven Sport Network where he is currently head of legal, with previous companies include BT Sport and Nickelodeon UK. He will lead on all elements of corporate governance and legal affairs.

“The appointments of Bradley and Alex represent a significant step forward for ARC as an organisation, as we position ourselves for sustainable, long term growth.

“They will both bring significant strengths and experience to our senior management team, which will be of huge benefit across all areas of the company.  We are always striving to approach future challenges head on and these recent appointments, along with the now complete restructure, will allow us to do this.” – Martin Cruddace, ARC chief executive

William Hill

William Hill has announced the appointment of Adrian Marsh as their new chief financial officer after current CFO Ruth Prior announced she would be leaving her position last month.

Marsh joins from DS Smith where he has been group CFO for the past seven years and has overseen their transition from FTSE 250 to the FTSE 100.

“I am delighted to welcome Adrian to the board. As a proven CFO of a FTSE listed company with M&A, deal execution and multi-sector finance experience in US & European markets, he will be able to make a significant contribution to William Hill in the enablement of the strategy and is a great addition to the team.” – William Hill CEO, Ulrik Bengtsson

High 5 Games

High 5 Games have appointed Jesse Cary to the newly created vice president strategy role as the company prepares to launch its social casino into the real money gaming market.

Joining from Bede Gaming, where he served over eight years, the experienced technologist will be responsible for H5G’s igaming platform strategy, advising on technical platform design, platform as a product as well as engineering organisational structure.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jesse to High 5 Games, who will become a real asset to the team as we prepare to launch our first B2C brand in the real gaming market.

“His tech background will be instrumental as we begin to broaden our product offering, especially with the launch of our Brain with Benefits technology that is set to revolutionise the casino experience with a truly personalised player journey.” – Anthony Singer, CEO of High 5 Games.

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Following the announcement, shares in William Hill climbed one point, rising 4.55p above their closing price on Friday, before dropping by approximately three per cent to 129.45p on Monday afternoon.

Done, who has not yet confirmed whether he plans to increase his stake in the operator, told the Racing Post: “I’ve bought Hills shares because they are massively undervalued and in my opinion when it comes to the US they are front-runners.”

Over recent months, Betfred has been capitalising on the opportunity presented by the post-PASPA US market, having launched sportsbooks in both Colorado and Iowa, as well as securing an agreement with Scientific Games to go live in Pennsylvania.

Scientific Games was selected as the technology provider to launch retail solutions at Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the first half of 2020 as part of Betfred’s partnership with the property. 

In advance of the 2020-2021 NFL season, Betfred and Scientific Games plan to launch digital sports betting for the state’s bettors.

Meanwhile, William Hill has also been strengthening its foothold in the US, having gone live in 9 of the fourteen states which have legalised sports betting.

As confirmed in its full-year 2019 results, William Hill US handled $2.9bn of gross amounts wagered, either directly or indirectly, 55 per cent of which was placed through online channels, while the operator also revealed it had handled one in four bets across the US.

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The four year extension builds on a long-standing partnership that first began in 2007. A statement released by Scientific Games confirmed that William Hill will continue to utilise its sportsbook platform, including betting engine OpenBet, as well as casino content through Open Gaming System (OGS).

Jordan Levin, group chief executive, digital for Scientific Games, stated: “By choosing Scientific Games, William Hill is reaffirming their commitment and belief in our products, services and team and sending a message that we continue to be a source of competitive advantage for global industry leaders in all regulated markets. 

“We’re really building on one of our strongest relationships. The team at William Hill share an ambition to create next level player experiences and together, across sports and igaming, we’re making that a reality.”

Ulrik Bengtsson, group chief executive officer for William Hill, added: “It’s a pivotal time for sports betting and igaming providers. Scientific Games’ solutions provide us with the flexibility that is key to our growth strategy in the U.K. and Europe and we’re pleased to continue to use their products that will be provided on a flexible and modular basis to power our shared success in the years to come.”

The agreement expands on Scientific Games’ history with William Hill and builds on the technology organisations latest announcement that has seen it provide full retail and digital sports betting solutions in Pennsylvania due to a partnership with Betfred. 

At the time Keith O’Loughlin, SVP of sportsbook and digital for Scientific Games, concluded: “Betfred is one of the UK’s top-performing bookmakers, and their move into the US will spark growth. Once again, a sophisticated and experienced sports betting operator has chosen OpenSports to responsibly grow its US presence with our maximum reliability, scalability, and performance.”

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The deal, which plans to ‘reimagine fan engagement through a unique integration of sports betting, media, product and technology’, is set to get underway with initial integrations in March on CBS Sports digital platforms, with a full roll-out scheduled for the fantasy football season.

Jeffrey Gerttula, executive vice president and general manager of CBS Sports digital, stated: “We’re thrilled to launch this momentous partnership, which will allow us to deepen our investment and further extend our leadership in delivering multi-platform sports wagering content, while providing William Hill with unprecedented reach for their market-leading betting platform as they continue to grow their industry-leading US business,” 

“The power of our distribution, combined with the strength of our brands and the expertise of William Hill, has us well positioned to tap into the explosive growth of the legal sports betting industry in the US. Together, we will deliver even more value to this rapidly growing segment of sports fans.”

The partnership extends CBS Sports’ digital leadership in the sports betting space and will allow for the creation of even more relevant content across its wide array of platforms. The deal will also see CBS Sports utilise William Hill’s odds, experts and sportsbooks to bolster its current digital offerings which is set to deliver deeper information and programming across the country which in turn will further engage sports bettors and fans. 

Furthermore, the partnership includes opportunities to feature William Hill data, odds and markets across CBS television programming, with the betting brand also receiving exclusive rights to promote its brand across CBS Sports’ range of digital properties.

Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US, added: “CBS Sports, similar to William Hill, has a longstanding history of connecting fans directly to the biggest events and most iconic moments in sports.”

“We are excited about this partnership, with assets including mass-reach digital content products, one of the largest fantasy sports databases and platforms in the world, and leading sports television programming, which will allow us to expand the William Hill brand across America quickly and efficiently.”

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Following recent expansion efforts that saw Octoplay partner with Flutter and Entain, the Malta-based slot developer has extended the reach of its proprietary slot content in the UK by hosting slots on William Hill’s online casino platform. 

The partnership will see William Hill players gain access to Octoplay titles such as Cash Link Express: Hold & Win, Lightning Blitz Supercharged and 777 Hot Reels.

Nick Vuchev, Commercial Director at Octoplay, stated: “Partnering with William Hill represents a significant step in our expansion strategy. The bespoke Jackpot Hunt solution we’ve developed for William Hill showcases our ability to collaborate closely with tier-one operators to create tailored, innovative content. 

“We’re excited to bring our premium games and other innovative platform solutions to William Hill’s vast player base in the UK.”

In addition to slot releases, William Hill will also collaborate with Octoplay to host a bespoke version of the studio’s opt-in Jackpot Hunt solution. Keiron Downs, Head of Gaming UK, Content Operations at William Hill, added: “At William Hill, we’re always looking to enhance our gaming portfolio with high-quality, engaging content. Octoplay’s games and Jackpot Hunt align perfectly with our commitment to providing an exceptional gaming experience.”

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Issue 32 of the magazine includes an in-depth feature about the future of the custodian of the William Hill and 888 brands, in which Widerström and Chief Strategy Officer Vaughan Lewis detail the difficult steps they are taking to get the business back on track after a troubled period.

While the decision to rename the plc evoke is perhaps the most eye-catching step, the company is also undergoing an extensive restructuring programme designed to combine the strengths of its two internationally-recognised brands, together with a revamp of the executive team.

Widerström remains keen to see further change though, telling SBC Leaders: “When we are looking ahead with our value creation plan – the new strategy – we are instigating a new way of operation, which is more data-driven and more integrated with intelligent automation. 

“Of course, then we are building a new culture as we go along. It is an ongoing process to make sure you have a fit for purpose, future-proofed culture and way of behaving in any living organisation in order to stay top in the industry.”

Elsewhere in the magazine, cover star Marina Ilina, the CEO of Pin-Up Global, shares her views on what lawmakers get wrong when creating regulated markets or updating regulatory regimes. 

“More often than not, states think that if businesses are tightened up with mandatory deductions, it will be good for the country,” Ilina says. 

“In reality, however, operators are very good at counting money. Licensed operators will not work in the countries where taxation, for example, mandates withholding winnings from the player, but does not regulate the grey market. Players themselves will not play in licensed products.”

Readers can also look forward to interviews with a number of other high-profile figures in the industry. Betfred’s incoming Chief Intelligence Officer Andrew Daniels discusses plans to use the operator’s all-new tech division to replicate its retail success on digital channels, while LiveScore Group’s General Counsel Rani Wynn examines whether marketing regulations are hampering the promotion of safer gambling practices. 

Bulgaria’s gambling regulator Alexander Popov explains his plan to tackle the black market, while PressEnter Group’s Head of Payments Sean Spiteri discusses technological developments in the payments space.  Amit Berkovich, evoke’s Head of Poker, calls for greater innovation to give the game a new lease of life, and Christoffer Andersson, Chief Operating Officer at 500 Casino explains why he believes the recent changes to Curaçao’s regulation will be a good thing.

There is also an in-depth look at the international furore about gambling advertising, a deep dive into the growing threat of AI-powered fraud, an evaluation of whether the sweepstakes model can successfully transfer from the US to international markets, and much, much more.

Click here to read the digital version of SBC Leaders Issue 32 or pick up a print copy at SBC Summit in Lisbon.

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Overall H1 losses increased to £143m, having previously been at £32m in the prior year, meanwhile the organisation reported revenue of £862m, a dip of 2% year-over-year but up 4% sequentially on H2 2023. 

UK retail falling by 8% was largely cited as being a key contributing aspect as to why the decline had taken place as the firm admitted the retail gaming offering of William Hill had fallen behind competition. 

Furthermore, management expectations were met when it came to H1 Group revenues, which amounted to £862m (H1 2022: £881m), however, group accounts detailed double-digit adjusted EBITDA declines across all core business segments.

Group CEO, Per Widerström, stated: “The return on our marketing – primarily in UK Online – was lower than expected, leading to an online marketing ratio of 25%, which was higher than planned. We have put in place a new and experienced commercial leadership team and marketing leadership team, and we are transforming the way we plan and undertake our marketing.

“As I said in our July trading update, while the financial performance in the first half was disappointing and behind our initial plan, the underlying health of the business is continually getting stronger.

“The corrective actions we have already taken give us even more confidence that our strategic approach is sound and that we will achieve sustainable success.”

The group’s UK online verticals fell short in terms of expectation as online sports betting revenues failed to be boosted by key events such as the European Championships, with online sportsbook revenue dropping by 5.3%.

Overall, William Hill registered a 37% decline in adjusted EBITDA to £38m (H1 2023: £61m). Widerström stated on retail challenges: “In Retail, we were pursuing an in-house solution for gaming cabinets and software. The rationale for this was clear: to drive differentiation.

“However, our initial tests indicated that customers were reacting poorly to the different product proposition, despite a broader range of games and some unique promotion tools. All our plans are data-led, and we reassess and act decisively when the data does not support them.”

Meanwhile, despite maintaining growth in the ‘core markets’ of Spain, Italy and Denmark, Evoke’s International Unit registered stagnant revenues of £265m.

The positivity the firm saw in core markets was offset by reduced revenues in international markets where Evoke is changing business models, and by the H1 termination of its US market joint venture.

Seeking to take action and continue a transformative process for the firm, H2 trading will see Evoke’s new leadership team take decisive actions to address H1 underperformance and execute a turnaround in short-term trading, whilst building enhanced capabilities to drive competitive advantage.

Leadership maintains its guidance to return to growth in H2 trading, with revenue up by 5-9% and adjusted EBITDA margin expected to improve to approximately 21%, along with a pledge to deliver “£30m of targeted cost efficiencies for full-year trading.”

Widerström closed the accounts by stating: “We are completely transforming this business. Whilst the scale of change is significant, it is necessary for us to deliver mid and long-term profitable growth and value creation. 

“We have already taken bold, decisive actions to both instigate a turnaround in short-term trading performance and simultaneously invest in the group’s capabilities to drive step-change value creation and build a bigger, more profitable, more sustainable, and more cash generative business in the future.

“We have a clear plan, vision and financial targets. As a result of our strategic progress and the enhancements already made to the business, I am even more confident about delivering our Value Creation Plan and driving sustainable profitable growth over the coming years.”

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The advert was seen on search engine Bing and featured a promotion advertising a ‘Bet £10 get £60’ welcome bonus from the online casino and sports betting operator. 

Raising the issue with the ASA, a complainant noted that, when clicking on the link included in the advertisement, some small print stated that Apple Pay could not be used as a payment method.

This was considered as a significant term of the promotion, and omitting this information from the advertisement has been considered as misleading customers. 

The ASA’s assessment sided with the complainant, referring to the Committee on Advertising Practice Code that governs UK advertising and marketing standards and practice.

Under the CAP Code, all marketing communications and promotions must state applicable significant conditions where omission is likely to mislead. Significant information can include participation and technology restrictions, including payments options.

William Hill responded to the complaint by asserting that the criteria on a second advert, showcased on its website, was “clear, prominent and included the qualification ‘Payment methods & country restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply’.”

The Evoke-owned operator added that it understood that Google Pay and Apple Pay have limitations in matching ownership of the payment method with registered gambling accounts.

As a result, there is a higher risk of people using these payment methods to take up an offer intended for new customers only on multiple occasions. The firm stated that it understands “such restrictions were common across the industry”.

Despite the response, the ASA concluded that the initial advert, found on the search engine, not including the information around Apple Pay’s exclusion meant that new customers using this payment method would not receive the £60 welcome bonus. 

This is significant information likely to affect how a customer interacts with the promotion and product, the ASA states. 

The ASA ordered that the ad must not appear again in the same format and William Hill has been told to ensure future marketing includes all significant conditions in communications.

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It’s a deal that will see the online casino and sportsbook operator leverage 2mee’s proprietary HoloMessage solution to deliver video messages from its team and brand influencers at strategic points, directly to customers across its website and app as a clickable pop-up.

The operator described the link as ‘transformational’, having tapped into the benefits of  HoloMessage to scale engagement among reachable customers from its active player base and create awareness of personalised bonuses and offers.

James Riley, CEO of 2mee, said: “We are thrilled to be working with such a high-calibre operator and for William Hill to have enjoyed such a significant uplift in engagement, sign-ups and ultimately revenues from the very first deployment of 2mee’s HoloMessage®.

“This is of course just the start of our partnership and we have already identified many other areas in which HoloMessage can strengthen engagement, foster brand loyalty and ultimately provide a significant boost to customer lifetime value and revenue.”

Moving forward, Hills will begin deploying HoloMessage at ‘critical decision points’ throughout its customer journey. Influencers will be empowered to record messages directly from their smartphones and deploy them via the 2mee platform.

Matt Baulk, Head of Personalisation & Product at William Hill, added on the partnership: “We’ve achieved remarkable success with our initial deployment of HoloMessage, leading us to expand its usage across various touch points in the customer journey, from compliance messaging to sportsbook offers. The technology’s simplicity, from recording to deployment, makes it incredibly user-friendly.”

In its debut campaign with William Hill, the operator targeted a segmented audience with a HoloMessage aimed at driving players to opt-in to marketing campaigns. The results saw a single influencer HoloMessage impression outperform 31 days of a persistent banner ad by 340 per cent. 

Furthermore, the campaign achieved an average engagement rate of 55 per cent with a peak of 64.9 per cent, leading to an increase in customer opt-ins.

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