Smarkets hires Sheldon Hanai to run its US business

Sports betting operator Smarkets has hired Sheldon Hanai to run its business in the United States as its new US General Manager.
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Sports betting operator Smarkets has hired Sheldon Hanai to run its business in the United States as its new US General Manager.

Reporting directly to CEO and Founder, Jason Trost, Hanai will also be part of the firm’s executive leadership team.

Hanai will begin the newly created role on June 13 from Smarkets’ new office in a soon-to-be-revealed East Coast location. The firm currently has offices in London, Malta, and Los Angeles.

Commenting on his new role, Hanai said: “I’m delighted to be joining Smarkets, a business that I have followed since the very beginning of its journey and seen blossom into one of the world’s leading sports betting companies.

“I can’t wait to get stuck into realizing SBK’s potential in the US where our industry-leading odds can make a huge impact.”

Before joining Smarkets, Hanai spent nearly six years at Nike, rising to Senior Director level as the Head of Global Innovation Finance. He has also previously worked for the US Department of Defense, Google, and BP.

Trost added: “I’m super excited about Sheldon joining us to head up our push into the US. We have looked far and wide for the right candidate for what is an absolutely crucial role as we expand our footprint in the States. Sheldon was an outstanding choice and I couldn’t be more pleased that he’s joining us.”

Smarkets is currently only live with its SBK sportsbook app in the state of Colorado, but launches are also planned for Indiana and Iowa.