The U.S. gaming market undergoes constant change, and SBC Americas is keeping you in the loop with this week’s shifts in key stakeholder and leadership moves from across the industry.
Each week, we’ll be taking a weekly deep dive into who’s hiring, who’s leaving and how this is shaping the North American gaming industry.
PENN Entertainment adds new board members
PENN Entertainment has undergone recent operational changes with the dissolution of its 10-year, $2bn deal with ESPN to operate ESPN Bet. This is in addition to changes to how its board of directors is structured following a dispute with activist investor HG Vora.
Earlier this week, PENN appointed three new independent directors to its board as part of a cooperation agreement with HG Vora. The agreement ended a dispute between the two entities after HG Vora made a request in 2024 to have a representative sit on PENN’s board.
HG Vora wanted a seat on the board amid underperformance and spending concerns, leading the activist investor to take legal action against PENN over its board structure after the company elected two new board members and reduced the total number of seats.
A judge determined that PENN acted “in good faith” regarding changes to its board, but the company has made amends with HG Vora by enlisting three new members.
PENN’s new board members are Qualcomm Incorporated Executive Vice President Heather Ace, Circumference Group Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Fox and former Snaitech S.p.A. CEO Fabio Schiavolin.
CFTC makes a round of senior appointments
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has been at the forefront of the gaming industry in recent months as the popularity of prediction markets and event contracts continues to grow.
The CFTC’s approach to prediction market regulation under the leadership of new Chair Michael Selig has stirred debate about how prediction markets fit into the gaming industry.
The CFTC continues to reiterate its regulatory authority over event contracts and is doing so with new senior leadership at the government agency. Selig recently announced four senior staff appointments in his office, bolstering the CFTC’s leadership in a critical time for the unit.
Selig has appointed former House Financial Services Committee Deputy Communications Officer Brooke Nethercott as the CFTC’s new Director of the Office of Public Affairs.
“I’m excited to welcome Brooke to the CFTC as director of public affairs,” said Selig. “Her extensive congressional experience and commitment to advancing President Trump’s vision for making America the crypto capital of the world will be invaluable as we drive innovation forward.”
Emma Johnston also joined the company as the CFTC’s Senior Agriculture Advisor. Johnston joins the CFTC with nearly a decade of experience working on Capitol Hill, previously serving as a Senior Policy Advisor to Sen. Tommy Tuberville and has also worked for former Sen. David Perdue and Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Meghan Tente has also been awarded a senior role, becoming a CFTC Senior Advisor after previously serving as Chief of Staff to former Acting CFTC Chair Carolina D. Pham. Tente also has CFTC experience as a former acting director of the agency’s Division of Market Oversight.
Selig also appointed Libby Mastrogiacomo as a Senior Advisor, who previously held the role as Senior Counsel to former CFTC Commissioners Summer Mersinger and Dawn Stump. Mastrogiacomo has extensive derivatives experience, having represented trading platforms and clearing organizations while practicing law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Scientific Games hires engineering and tech expert
Scientific Games bolstered its workforce this week with the hiring of Rich Wasserman as SVP of Product Engineering. In the role, Wasserman will oversee the company’s engineering efforts across its portfolio of regulated lotteries, while also enhancing hardware and software.
“We’re excited to add Rich’s deep technical expertise scaling innovative, AI-driven platforms at world-class organizations to further strengthen Scientific Games’ technology leadership,” said Scientific Games CEO Pat McHugh.
Wasserman previously held leadership positions in tech at Amazon and Facebook. He also previously served as the VP of Engineering and Data Science at Stitch Fix.
Oddin.gg continues to bolster business
Less than a month after entering Maryland’s regulated sports betting market, Oddin.gg bolstered its leadership team by hiring Todd McCully as Head of Sales.
The industry veteran joined Oddin.gg after holding the role of Sportradar’s Head of Sales for the Asia-Pacific. McCully will oversee Oddin.gg’s partnership strategy across the world.
“Todd’s appointment to Head of Sales is a significant step forward for our commercial strategy,” said Oddin.gg Co-Founder and Managing Director Marek Suchar. “His experience building partnerships across multiple jurisdictions, combined with his deep understanding of what operators need in regulated environments, makes him the right leader for this role.
Oddin.gg also recently hired Martin Lycka as Vice President of Institutional Affairs.
iGaming Ontario makes history with new hire
Ben Valido has been hired as iGaming Ontario’s first Chief Responsible Gaming Officer, bringing a wealth of experience in navigating Ontario’s gaming market.
Valido has joined iGaming Ontario after previously holding the position of Director of Strategic Policy at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). He was also the AGCO’s interim Chief Strategy Officer. Valido spent more than two years at the AGCO.
Before joining iGaming Ontario and the AGCO, Valido was the Director of Corporate Transaction and Director of Operations for the Ontario Government.
Polymarket makes new hire after lawsuit settlement
Polymarket is preparing for its full U.S. re-entry after hiring former Fanatics Chief Business Officer Ari Borod. The executive’s appointment as Polymarket’s new Sports President came after he settled a lawsuit with his former employer, Fanatics.
Borod was an executive at Fanatics for more than four years, helping the ecommerce giant establish a footprint in the sports betting and online casino gaming space.
Polymarket’s hiring of Borod caused friction as Fanatics sued him in a Florida state court in an attempt to block his exit to join Polymarket over a non-compete obligation. The non-compete obligation also created disputes over whether Fanatics and Polymarket are competitors. Borod would eventually settle the lawsuit with Fanatics out of court.
“The parties have reached an out-of-court resolution of their dispute and have no further comment,” a Fanatics spokesperson told SBC Americas last week.
