Betting and Gaming Council

Betting and Gaming Council has announced that Grainne Hurst has officially begun her new role as CEO of the organisation.

Back in April, Hurst was confirmed by the BGC for the CEO role as part of a wider restructuring of the organisation’s senior leadership, with former CEO Michael Dugher becoming Chair after Brigid Simmonds stepped down from the position during the same month.

Hurst joins the BGC from Entain where she has been Group Corporate Affairs Director since March 2018.

“I’m absolutely delighted to get started as CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, the industry champion for so many iconic brands, at home in the UK and around the world,” Hurst commented.

“This is a crucial time for the BGC’s diverse and growing membership, which supports 110,000 jobs and caters to millions of customers who enjoy a bet each month in the UK. There is a huge amount of work ahead of us, not least delivering and implementing the outstanding proposals outlined in last year’s White Paper, many of which our members called for.

“That includes a statutory levy to address problem gambling and related harms, an Ombudsman for improved consumer redress, online financial risk checks carefully targeted on those at risk, new stake limits for online slots, a Sports Sponsorship Code, plus mission-critical modernisation proposals for the land-based casino sector.

“While achieving regulatory certainty after a period of so much change is top of my priority list, it is important for our industry to focus on stability, growth and diversity across the sector. That work must be underpinned by strong data and guided throughout by the voice of the everyday consumer.”

Dugher added: “On behalf of the entire BGC membership, I’d like to warmly welcome Grainne as she officially starts as CEO. She brings years of experience and knowledge in the regulated industry, together with a bold vision and strategy to refresh and reset the organisation going forward.

“I look forward to working with Grainne in my new role as Chair, and the rest of the outstanding BGC team, as we continue to represent thousands of workers and millions of customers, as well as delivering on our mission to raise standards in safer gambling.”

Betfred

Betfred has named Nick Cockerill as its new Chief Product Officer.

Cockerill brings over 10 years of sports betting and igaming experience to Betfred, having previously worked in senior product and technology roles at Stats Perform, Sky Betting and Gaming, Pokerstars International and Flutter Entertainment.

At Betfred, Cockerill will be tasked with elevating the brand’s online business, enhancing Betfred’s retail offering and accelerating the transition of the operator into a technology-first organisation.

“I’m delighted to join Betfred at such an important and exciting time in their history,” commented Cockerill.

“Betfred is one of the UK’s strongest brands in the sector and I’m looking forward to working with the excellent team here to elevate Betfred to where it should be as one of the top online bookmakers in the UK and advancing our leadership in retail.”

Joanne Whittaker, CEO of Betfred, added: “Nick joins with a wealth of experience and has an excellent track record in the sector. His appointment is key to our huge ambitions for Betfred.”

The Star Entertainment Group

The Star Entertainment Group has appointed Mark Mackay as CEO of The Star Gold Coast.

Mackay brings over 18 years of integrated resorts and gaming experience to The Star, with his most recent role being the Chief Operating Officer for Crown Resorts Melbourne, managing the location’s operation and strategic direction.  

Before Crown Resorts in 2017, Mackay was Chief Operating Officer of The Star Gold Coast (then Jupiters Hotel and Casino), but also served in various roles at Jupiters Casino between 2006 and 2017. 

Chair of The Star, Anne Ward, said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Mark to The Star as Chief Executive Officer of The Star Gold Coast. 

“Mark has a deep understanding of what it takes to run a leading integrated resort development and brings a lot of capability to this role. Mark’s appointment and relevant experience further strengthens our leadership team as we focus on implementing the necessary reforms at The Star. 

“This appointment completes the new leadership team structure of decentralised management across our three integrated resort developments in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney. 

“I want to take this opportunity to thank Ian Brown, General Manager Gaming at The Star Gold Coast, for his leadership, support and significant contribution leading the Gold Coast team through the past four months.”

Optimove

Optimove has expanded its partnerships team with the appointment of Adi Dagan as Senior Director of Partnerships. 

With over two decades of experience scaling online businesses and building partnerships,

Dagan’s previous industry roles include being the Co-Founder and CEO of Beehive and the Co-Founder of Everybuddy Games.

In his new role, Dagan will be tasked with expanding Optimove’s strategic partnerships and fostering growth across key markets, expanding the company’s partner ecosystem and recognising new business opportunities, including engaging with key partners and clients at industry events. 

“I am extremely excited to join Optimove. It is the clear leader in CRM Marketing for iGaming and Sports Betting,” commented Dagan. 

“Optimove’s cutting-edge platform and proven ability to enhance customer engagement through AI-orchestrated, data-driven marketing create a market advantage. Optimove is a clear market differentiator for any partner. I am looking forward to help Optimove continue to build valuable partnerships that drive measurable success for marketers.” 

Pini Yakuel, CEO of Optimove, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome Adi to the team. His expertise will be instrumental in expanding our partner ecosystem and delivering even more value to our clients. 

“Under his leadership, we are poised to expand and deepen partnerships that deliver next-level personalised engagement solutions to leading brands across the globe.”

Wynn Resorts

Wynn Resorts has added three executives to its team at Wynn Al Marjan Island, its UAE property scheduled to open in 2027.

Reporting to Wynn Al Marjan Island President Max Tappeiner, the three new appointments are Tom J Roelens as COO, David Patent as Executive Vice President of Casino Operations and Sherri DeSalvio as Vice President of Pre-Opening Planning and Strategic Initiatives.

Overseeing the integrated resort’s non-gaming operations, Roelens brings over 25 years of experience managing ultra-luxury hotel operations to Wynn, including 20 years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Most recently, he opened Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal and managed Atlantis The Palm and Aquaventure World’s operations. 

Responsible for gaming operations, Patent was previously CEO of VizExplorer, an analytics and business intelligence solutions provider. He has also held senior management roles at Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas and the Midwest. 

In charge of developing and executing key strategic initiatives, DeSalvio began​​ her career with Wynn in 2008, has held hotel sales and convention operations roles and has managed various high-impact special projects.

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Leveraging its existing expertise in the AI field, Optimove will aim to use the technology to unlock the entire customer journey for igaming and sports betting providers in collaboration with Captain Up and Gamanza. 

Pini Yakuel, CEO of Optimove, explained: “These partnerships are the first to deliver a best-of-breed approach for powerful personalised gamification experiences. Sports betting and igaming operators now have more than just gamification; they now have AI-orchestrated gamification as part of the entire player journey and experience. 

“Sports betting and igaming operators will be able to keep their players engaged at levels that, until now, were not possible. AI-orchestrated gamified engagements are the future of how marketers build strong relationships with both current and new players.” 

Through the two partnerships, Optimove will extend its offering to operator partners with a view to present them with additional AI-powered features. 

“We’re super excited at Gamanza Engage to have forged this partnership with Optimove,” said Robert Civill, Chief Commercial Officer of Gamanza Group. “Optimove has defined the standards for CRM and automated Marketing in igaming, and our objective at Gamanza Engage is to become the industry’s reference for casino & sportsbook gamification. 

“This partnership combines two best-of-breed solutions and allows operators to easily utilise the Gamanza Engage gamification suite with the huge added value of a slick integration with the Optimove CRM. This unity between player communication and gamification is a serious advancement in the overall player experience and adds a new layer of personalization.” 

The new solution will boast integrated gamification for personalisation, real-time orchestration and holistic campaign measurement. 

“Furthermore, with Gamanza Engage’s ‘Boosters’ mechanic, Operators have new marketing tools at their disposal, and an alternative to traditional bonuses that reduces cost while driving engagement.”  

Uri Admon, CEO of Captain Up, added: “The collaboration with Optimove introduces a new era of value creation for our partners. By combining Optimove’s advanced data analytics and marketing automation with Captain Up’s innovative gamification and loyalty solutions, we are unlocking new levels of personalised customer engagement. 

“This synergy allows us to offer tailored experiences that drive higher customer satisfaction and retention rates. Captain Up recently won ‘Innovation in Mobile’ and ‘Mobile Supplier of the Year’ at the latest EGR B2B awards, further solidifying our position as a leader in the loyalty industry. 

“Together, we are setting a new standard in the industry, providing our clients with the tools they need to reward more loyal and engaged customers. Our platform’s versatility and powerful features enable clients to drive user behaviour, increase lifetime value, and enhance customer loyalty.”

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Key to the 4Play Gaming offering is a fixed fee structure replacing traditional revenue-sharing models. The firm underlined that this enables them to “provide operators with clarity and transparency, free from revenue fluctuations”.

Furthermore, 4Play Gaming’s platform also seeks to benefit from an event-based architecture that looks to elevate the user experience. 

Global Director of Partnerships Dan de Souza stated: “Combining 4Play Gaming’s state-of-the-art platform with Optimove’s CRM Marketing Platform empowers gaming operators to improve user experiences, increase engagement, and realise significant operational efficiencies.

“4Play Gaming is committed to staying at the forefront of technological innovation and providing its operators with the best tools to succeed in the competitive iGaming market.” It’s the latest in a string of high-profile collaborations for Optimove, having also agreed link-ups with igaming operator ComeOn Group and also Enteractive, as the firm looks to enhance personalisation and bolster engagement from players.

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Leveraging its proprietary platform technology and advanced data warehouse, ComeOn announced it will introduce a personalisation strategy that tailors content to individual preferences.

Furthermore, ComeOn is broadening the use of Opti-X, Optimove’s Digital Experience Platform (DXP), beyond casino to now include sports on its proprietary platform.

Sherwin Jarvand, Chief Data Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “Personalisation has always been key to our strategy and powered by our proprietary platform. 

“As we gear up to grow our sportsbook business, it is essential we apply the same ethos across our platform and full product offering. Extending our partnership with Optimove will further enhance the betting and casino experience for all of our customers through personalised onsite experiences as well as automated, dynamic, and relevant CRM content. We are excited to continue our journey with Optimove and deliver best in class, personalised sports betting and casino player engagement.”

Matthew Gilbery, Director of Personalisation Offering at Optimove, added on the deal: “ComeOn Group is a perfect example of how to tackle personalisation at scale. 

“They embrace full multi-channel personalisation, optimising the customer experience without boundaries. It is organisations like theirs that present challenges and opportunities that drive Optimove to continually improve CRM Marketing for igaming.”

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Through the deal, the player conversion and reactivation service provider’s outbound calling expertise has been added to the CRM marketing platform’s Multichannel Marketing Hub, going alongside its existing suite of marketing channels such as email, mobile, SMS, in-app messaging, as well as web and mobile push.

Enteractive has stated that the outbound calling will allow operators to provide personal interactions with players in the areas of retention and tackling problematic gambling, accessible seamlessly with Optimove’s CRM marketing platform integration.

Dan De Souza, Director of iGaming Partnerships at Optimove, commented: “Sometimes you need a bit of human touch. We’re thrilled to kick off this strategic partnership with Enteractive.

“This new marketing channel represents a significant addition, offering operators an impactful avenue to rekindle connections with inactive players and bolster their efforts in addressing problematic gambling issues more effectively.” 

Enteractive added that the personalisation of the outbound calls can help reengage with previous players, but also identify signs of problematic gambling behaviour to provide those that need it with “personal, hands-on advice to help them manage their gambling habits”.

“Addressing player churn is a pivotal marketing challenge within the iGaming industry, and this partnership marks a significant step forward in empowering operators to address this challenge effectively,” added Pedram Padidar, Enteractive COO. 

“Our service aligns perfectly with the capabilities of Optimove’s comprehensive all-in-one CRM Marketing platform. Combining Enteractive’s well-established services with Optimove’s advanced CRM marketing functionalities provides a formidable marketing tool that spares no resource in reactivating churned players.”

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Through the partnership, Optimove will help Altenar’s operating partners to elevate player digital experiences by delivering personalised product recommendations via widgets in Opti-X, an AI-driven recommendation and search engine. 

Opti-X offers tailored content and product recommendations across all digital touchpoints, even for anonymous visitors, based on past interactions, similar players and trending items. 

“This announcement marks a significant milestone for Opti-X and its value for igaming operators,” commented Dan de Souza, Global Director of Partnerships at Optimove.

“Much like Altenar, we continue to expand in LatAm, so this partnership is a no-brainer. Combining our technology with Altenar’s unparalleled industry expertise enables us to deliver innovative solutions that drive igaming operators’ business growth. 

“As players’ attention spans continue to shrink, operators must gain the ability to start marketing with the player and provide relevant and personalised recommendations, services, and products to keep them around for longer and coming back for more.”

Using Opti-X widgets, Altenar’s operators can personalise content across numerous channels and assist customers with discovering products via a search engine powered by AI.

Charlie Williams, Commercial Director at Altenar, added: “This partnership is a game-changer for our operator portfolio. Opti-X’s AI-led content and product recommendations solution will empower operators to serve each player with the right digital recommendations at the right time, enhancing retention and elevating player experience. 

“That is a surefire step toward better player loyalty and trust, enhanced retention, and a better bottom line.”

Earlier this month, Optimove announced that it would be providing its CRM marketing solution to La Tinka to bolster the Peruvian igaming operator’s player engagement and retention.

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Through the deal, La Tinka and its Te Apuesto online sportsbook and casino brand will utilise Optimove’s services to deliver “optimised player journeys with personalised experiences across a broad range of digital touchpoints, enhancing player satisfaction, engagement, retention and lifetime value”. 

Services that will be made available to the operator include the email personalisation platform OptiMail, the real-time and scheduled promotional and transactional text platform OptiText and the personalised rich media mobile push messages platform OptiMobile.

“At La Tinka, our dedication to providing an outstanding player experience is unwavering,” commented Maria Jose Alfaro, Digital Business Manager at La Tinka.

“Optimove, as the industry leader in CRM Marketing, enables us to deliver better, more personalised, and timely player experiences that seamlessly align with the dynamic pace of player engagement with our sports content and casino gaming.

“Their AI-driven solutions help us determine the next best action for each player to map to every player’s journey. This collaboration reflects our commitment to exceeding our players’ expectations for meaningful experiences at every touchpoint.”

La Tinka will gain through its partnership with Optimove:

• Advanced AI marketing – to improve “player understanding, streamlining or content creation and optimising campaign orchestration”.
• Enriched customer profiles – unifying data sources for a “comprehensive single customer view”.
• Multichannel personalisation and orchestration – directing 100s of campaigns to deliver “personalised customer communications across any channel”. 
• A continuous optimisation loop – measuring “the incremental uplift of each campaign, journey, and strategy to optimise CRM Marketing performance continuously”.

Over the past month, Optimove has agreed to similar CRM partnerships with Kindred, 888AFRICA and Pragmatic Play.

The platform provider will also be present at booth D46 at this week’s SBC Summit Rio, which takes place March 5-7 at the Windsor Convention & Expo Center in Rio de Janeiro.

Tomer Imber, Senior Director of Sales at Optimove, added: “Smart clients push us to excel, and we’re excited to join La Tinka on their rapid growth journey. The La Tinka team truly understands the power of experiences that delight and excite players as a growth engine for the business.

“As La Tinka focuses on attracting players and converting them at higher rates, we are committed to helping deepen their player engagement and cement long-term retention.”

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Through the deal, Pragmatic Play will utilise the CRM marketing solution’s digital experience platform Opti-X within its operations to boost player engagement, retention and lifetime value with instant personalised player recommendations.

“To capture and hold the attention of players, it’s becoming increasingly important for casino operators to provide a true real-time personalized experience from the first visit,” commented Matthew Gilbery, Director of Personalisation Offering at Optimove. 

“We are thrilled to be chosen by Pragmatic Play – an industry-leading supplier dedicated to the delivery of exceptional gaming experiences that keep players coming back for more.” 

Optimove’s Opti-X features an AI-powered web search that will allow Pragmatic Play to achieve personalised results for “fast and seamless discovery of games and products”.

In addition, the platform allows for “dynamic content personalisation across various channels using pre-designed widgets, enabling operators to craft the ultimate personalized player experience by integrating business rules with over 20 sophisticated AI models on their website or mobile app”.

Optimove believes Opti-X can close the gap for maintaining a consistent voice across web platforms and CRM marketing by “aligning the personalised experiences customers encounter on-site with the communications they receive”. 

A spokesperson for Pragmatic Play added: “Our collaboration with Optimove reflects Pragmatic Play’s commitment to providing operators and their players with the very best in personalized entertainment experiences.”

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Through the partnership, 888AFRICA – a joint venture partly owned by 888 Holdings – will utilise Optimove’s CRM marketing solution, which has several features including in-depth customer insights, smart orchestration, enhanced marketing attribution and personalisation at scale.

“Our collaboration with Optimove marks a significant milestone in our pursuit of accelerating growth and elevating player retention in the competitive igaming landscape,” stated Christopher Coyne, CEO of 888AFRICA.

“As we implement Optimove’s industry-leading CRM Marketing solution, we are confident in the capabilities it brings to the table. Optimove’s expertise in providing in-depth customer insights, smart orchestration, enhanced marketing attribution, and personalisation at scale aligns seamlessly with our strategic objectives. 

“This partnership reflects our dedication to delivering unparalleled gaming experiences and achieving our ambitious expansion plans across Africa’s regulated online betting and gaming markets.”

Using Optimove’s CRM marketing solution, 888AFRICA will be able to “access unified player data to create as many creative player segments as they desire without relying on other teams”, as well as combine AI with business rules for smart multi-channel orchestration.  

In addition, the solution will help the operator “measure the incremental impact of each message along the player journey” and personalise every marketing message’s audience, channel, and content levels. 

Earlier this week, Optimove agreed to a similar CRM marketing solution partnership with Kindred and its Unibet brand.

Peter Miles, Director of Sales at Optimove, added: “We are honoured to have been selected as the CRM marketing partner for 888AFRICA, and we look forward to supporting their foresight and strategic approach in seizing market opportunities.

“The 888AFRICA team truly understands the power of loyalty and personalisation in every marketing action, particularly in such a competitive landscape. We are committed to ensuring that our tools and capabilities become invaluable assets as we join their team in bringing their vision to life.”

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Through the deal, Kindred’s Unibet brand will receive Optimove’s CRM marketing services – a solution suite which includes email, mobile, and SMS marketing channels – increasing the operator’s operational efficiencies.

The solution offers capabilities such as the delivery of personalised experiences, access to unified customer profiles, multichannel personalisation and orchestration, as well as a continuous optimisation loop.

“Kindred is a true leader in igaming committed to delivering an exceptional customer experience to their players,” commented Motti Colman, VP of Revenue, Gaming at Optimove. 

“This partnership forms a powerful alliance, and we are honoured to have been selected. We appreciate Kindred’s confidence in our ability. We are excited that our combined efforts in the upcoming years will be revolutionary, propelling Kindred and igaming marketing into a new era of growth.”

Unibet will use Optimove’s digital experience platform Opti-X to create personalised player experiences with “dynamic content across owned properties and channels using ready-to-go widgets” on their website and app by combining business rules with over 20 AI models.

Unified customer profiles are achieved by bringing together “all historical, predictive, and real-time customer data from sources such as CRM, service clouds, and data warehouses” to produce a “comprehensive single customer view” for CRM marketing teams.    

Optimove’s AI-mapped CRM Journeys will allow Kindred to deliver personalised customer communications across multiple channels, while productised experimentation tools will help the operator measure each campaign to continuously optimise CRM marketing performance.

Dan Gabay, Director of Retention Marketing at Kindred, added: “With Optimove as the trusted CRM Marketing leader, we are confident they will contribute to our ongoing efforts to enhance players’ experiences.

“Optimove will assist us in delivering personalised and timely customer messages that align with the speed of player interactions with our sports content and casino gaming.”

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