The month of April continues to get off to a hot start in the U.S. gaming industry.
SBC Americas is detailing the latest workforce and leadership changes for some of the largest stakeholders in gaming. The personnel changes directly impact how business is conducted in gaming and how companies develop and execute their strategies.
Each week, we’ll detail the latest hires, exits and promotions.
Kalshi adds new member to advisory team
Kalshi’s quest to be a leading prediction market in the U.S. will be supported by the hiring of Stephanie Cutter as a policy advisor for the company. Cutter joins Kalshi as a veteran strategist with a background in politics that includes advising former President Barack Obama. She has also worked with movie studios, sports leagues and TV networks.
“I’ve spent my career at the intersection of media, politics, and business, where noise and polarization often obscure the truth. Data cuts through that,” said Cutter in a statement.
“Kalshi gives millions of Americans a data-driven alternative to opinion and guesswork—and they do it responsibly. In a world drowning in opinion, prediction markets are one of the few places where the data has real skin in the game—and I want to help Kalshi own that story”.
In addition to serving as an advisor for Kalshi, Cutter is the co-founder and managing partner of Precision Strategies, a New York-based strategic communications agency.
NFL hires director of global sports betting
America’s most popular professional sports league has a new director of global sports betting. The NFL has appointed Keith Perschetz to lead the league’s global sports betting efforts. In his position, Perschetz will oversee the NFL’s sports betting partnerships and ensure the league adheres to regulatory standards required by regulated gaming markets.
He will also be responsible for ensuring the integrity of NFL betting markets offered by licensed operators. Before joining the NFL, Perschetz spent nearly four years at BetMGM in various roles, including a manager of the company’s corporate strategy and development.
He also has experience in gaming as a former business development manager at Parx Casino.
Genius Sports adds talent to marketing team
Genius Sports announced the hiring of a new member to its executive team. The sports data giant announced the appointment of Tony Marlow as chief marketing officer to lead and execute the company’s marketing and communications strategies worldwide.
“I’m thrilled to join as CMO at such an exciting juncture. The live moment economy is here, and the sports category can now deliver even more value to fans and brands by helping them engage during the moments that matter most,” said Marlow in a statement.
“That creates value across the entire ecosystem, while delivering a better experience for fans. Genius has built the infrastructure to make that possible. Our opportunity now is to bring that to the market in highly visible ways”.
Marlow will leverage his expertise as a marketing specialist, as he previously served as the CMO at TV advertising company LG Ad Solutions. He also held the same role at Integral Ad Science and Data Axle.
Continent 8 commits to AI with new executive
Continent 8 Technologies is continuing to invest in data and AI with the appointment of Cris Kuehl as the company’s chief data, information and AI officer. Kuehl will support the delivery of cybersecurity solutions for Continent 8, while protecting its data infrastructure.
“Cris’ deep expertise across data, AI, and regulated environments is an exceptional match for our organization’s direction,” said Continent 8 Chief Executive Officer Michael Tobin.
“As the industry rapidly shifts toward intelligence-driven infrastructure, his leadership will ensure we continue to provide secure, high-performance solutions that deliver measurable value to our customers”.
Before joining Continent 8, Kuehl spent over two years at digital engineering consultancy Akkodis, serving as its vice president of artificial intelligence and data science. He also spent nearly five years in various leadership roles at customer experience giant Foundever.
Light & Wonder makes key promotions
Light & Wonder made a pair of promotions this week, elevating Lauren Bates to general manager of Canada. She previously held the role of vice president of sales for the company.
“I’m excited to share that I’ve stepped into a new role as general manager, Canada at Light & Wonder, where I’ll be overseeing all business lines across the region,” said Bates in a LinkedIn post.
“This next chapter is especially meaningful as it brings together the full strength of our portfolio—games, systems, and tables—allowing us to show up as one unified partner to our customers”.
Daniel May also has a new executive role at Light & Wonder. He is currently serving as Light & Wonder’s vice president of international after being a senior director for the company. May’s promotion comes nearly nine years after his hiring by Light & Wonder.
The Rio Las Vegas is under new leadership
The Rio is under new ownership, leading to a shift in leadership positions for the company.
The entertainment and hospitality giant appointed Rod Turlan as president and chief executive officer, replacing Patrick Miller. The Rio also has a new chief financial officer in former Jamul Casino Resort CFO Lori Ware. She replaces Christopher Balaban in the role.
The Rio also has a new vice president of sales, Ashley Lowe. She previously held the same role at M Resort Spa Casino. Meanwhile, Vince Lentini joins The Rio as senior VP of marketing. Lentini held previous leadership positions at Affinity Gaming and Hard Rock.
