The first week of July provided the U.S. commercial gaming industry with workforce changes impacting key stakeholders across the country.
Each week, SBC Americas highlights the latest hires, promotions, exits and new roles for some of the largest players in North American gaming.
Underdog executive steps down from role
Underdog is searching for a new vice president of VIP and player experience following the exit of Dillon Borgida. Earlier this week, Borgida relinquished his role at Underdog after spending just over two years at the gaming company. The former Underdog executive’s experience in the gaming space also extends to stops at DraftKings, William Hill and FanDuel. Borgida also served in VIP-based roles while working at those companies.
His exit comes after Underdog completed a round of layoffs in March, reducing the company’s workforce of just over 500 people by approximately 20%. The job cuts impacted several segments, including compliance, human resources, and product development.
Less than a week after announcing the round of layoffs, Underdog agreed to acquire Aristotle Exchange, which operates the PredictIt prediction market platform. Aristotle Exchange is registered as a designated contract market and a derivatives clearing organization with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Soft2Bet bolsters executive team
On Monday, Soft2Bet announced a new hire to its executive team.
Ryan Collinge joined the company as executive vice president of group business development and strategic partnerships. Collinge brings a wealth of gaming experience to Soft2Bet and joins the company after stepping down from a role at Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) last month. At GiG, he served as a vice president of business development. His previous stops also include Inspired Entertainment and Blueprint Gaming.
Collinge joins several other key hires made by Soft2Bet since the start of the year.
In January, the company hired former GiG Chief Business Officer Andrew Cochrane as COO. That same month, Christopher Anwyl joined Soft2Bet as VP of commercial. Anwyl joined Soft2Bet after a stint at DraftKings as a director of international B2B operations.
Harrison Barrett also recently joined the Soft2Bet executive team as VP of business development. Barrett is also a former GiG employee, having served as a director.
Social gaming trade group appoints executive director
On Wednesday, the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) appointed Sean J. Ostrow as executive director. Ostrow previously served as a managing director at the SGLA, assuming the role in 2025. He replaces Jeff Duncan as executive director.
“Sean has been instrumental in building the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance into a respected voice for the Social Plus gaming industry,” said Duncan. “During his time as managing director, he demonstrated the strategic vision, policy expertise and collaborative leadership needed to advance our mission.”
In addition to elevating Ostrow, the SGLA appointed four new board members:
- Derek Brinkman
- Lloyd Melnick
- Bryan Schroeder
- Jeff Duncan
“As I transition to the board of directors, I am confident Sean is the right leader to guide SGLA through its next phase of growth and continue advocating for innovation, responsible social gameplay and commonsense regulatory frameworks,” added Duncan.
NCPG looking to make a key hire
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is seeking a director of strategy for financial services and trading initiative, marking a key step in the council embracing the prediction market space. The job position opened this week and will support the NCPG’s Financial Trader Health and Safety Initiative.
The NCPG is hiring a senior position centered around event contract trading just two months after agreeing to a landmark deal with Kalshi to make the company the first prediction market to join the non-profit responsible gaming organization. As part of the agreement, Kalshi vows to invest $2 million in the NCPG to support its efforts.
The deal between the NCPG and Kalshi faced pushback from the Michigan Gaming Control Board, with the regulator relinquishing its membership with the council. The board stated that the NCPG’s entry into prediction markets is “inconsistent” with its mission.
