Life moves fast in the gaming and prediction market industries. It’s not only the products that are changing; so are the people behind the products.
Each week, SBC Americas tracks key hires and moves across North American operators and suppliers so that you don’t have to.
More C-suite changes at Crypto.com’s CDNA
Chief Technology Officer Steve Goodsell is the latest executive to leave Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (CDNA), continuing a flurry of recent exits from the prediction markets exchange.
Goodsell, who had been with the company since March 2022, posted on LinkedIn to clarify that his departure was not on his terms.
“Sadly, due to yet another cost saving round in the parent company, my time at NADEX/CDNA has come to an involuntary end,” he wrote.
Goodsell is at least the fourth C-level executive to leave CDNA in the last 12 months, after:
- CEO Travis McGhee, who was replaced in the role by COO Marcus Dees
- Chief Compliance and Regulatory Officer Kevin Dan
- Chief Risk Officer Wen Jiang
Hard Rock Digital recruits from BetMGM for Canadian entry
After Hard Rock Digital launched Hard Rock Bet in Ontario in July, the brand’s first expansion outside the U.S., the Seminole Tribe-owned operator has hired a BetMGM casino leader.
Paul Adams has left his role as senior manager of casino operations at BetMGM to become director of Ontario revenue at Hard Rock Digital.
“I’m joining a very talented group and am excited to help build Hard Rock’s business in Canada,” Adams wrote on LinkedIn. “There’s a lot of opportunity ahead, and I’m looking forward to being part of the team that builds it.”
Hard Rock Bet’s sportsbook and casino platform went live in Ontario on July 22. The Canadian province is the third North American market in which the operator offers both online sports betting and iGaming. The Hard Rock International parent company also has a brick-and-mortar casino in the province, in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.
IAGR elects Argentinian regulatory leader to board
The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) has elected Dr. Ida Magdalena López of Argentina to its board of trustees, a move that IAGR VP Brian Krolicki said will provide “a rare perspective” for the global body.
Dr. López has been president of the Instituto Provincial de Juegos y Casinos de Mendoza (IPJyC), the regulator of the province of Mendoza, since 2019. She was also elected as the first female president of the Asociación de Loterías Estatales de Argentina (ALEA) in 2024 and was re-elected as the leader of Argentina’s association of provincial government gaming and lottery authorities this year.
“Ida’s experience will greatly enhance IAGR’s ability to engage on critical regulatory issues with members around the world,” said IAGR President Ben Haden. “Her stature will strengthen IAGR’s presence in South America, which has become a focal point of regulatory innovation and thinking.”
A talented lawyer and organizational leader, Dr. López has been at the forefront of modernizing Argentina’s gaming regulatory framework. “Ida’s leadership extends far beyond Argentina’s borders and provides her with a rare perspective that will enhance IAGR’s growing portfolio of collaboration initiatives,” said IAGR Vice-President Brian Krolicki.
Midnite strikes at FanDuel again
Hard Rock Digital isn’t the only gambling operator eyeing Canada.
After UK and Ireland operator Midnite confirmed plans to enter regulated markets in Canada last month and announced ex-FanDuel Canada Commercial Director Dale Tang to lead the expansion, the company turned to the Flutter-owned gaming giant again for another notable hire.
FanDuel VP of Product for Casino & Loyalty Willie Lok left the U.S. operator to join Midnite in a similar role. He will be responsible for building and scaling Midnite’s casino products and loyalty offering as the company makes its first foray on this side of the Atlantic.
“Having someone with his level of product and industry expertise join our team is a huge milestone for us as we look to scale Midnite into a next-gen tier 1 global operator,” said Midnite founder and CEO Nick Wright. “We’re incredibly ambitious about where we can take our casino and loyalty products, and Willie’s appointment is an integral part of that journey. There’s a real opportunity to raise the bar here, and we want Midnite to be the company that does it.”
Onyx Odds brings in ex-Underdog lawyer
Registered introducing broker (IB) Onyx Odds has recruited former Underdog General Counsel Nicholas Green as its first ever general counsel as it continues to ramp up its prediction markets operations.
Onyx Predictions LLC is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as an IB and is also a member of the National Futures Association (NFA). It conducted a Series A funding round in June that raised $20m and is in the process of developing a prediction market product.
Green will report directly to Onyx founder and CEO Leul Dadi and will oversee all legal and compliance matters. At Underdog, the former Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP partner helped the daily fantasy sports operator-turned-prediction market exchange grow through several funding rounds, shift its core business model, and acquire Aristotle Exchange’s CFTC-registered designated contract market (DCM) and designated clearing organization (DCO) platforms.
“His deep industry experience and legal expertise will be invaluable as we continue to scale operations and launch our regulated prediction market platform,” said Dadi. “As we expand our product offering, we are equally focused on setting a high standard for player safety and responsible operations, and Nick will be central to these efforts.”
White Hat Studios SVP leaves for another supplier
Finally this week, an SVP at prominent U.S. gaming industry supplier White Hat Studios left the company for another gaming development company.
Ex-White Hat SVP Commercial and Corporate Strategy Michael Waterfield is the new CCO at Booming Games. In almost five years at his previous company, he helped the gaming studio expand significantly across North America, and he leaves shortly after White Hat Studios entered an agreement to be acquired by Merkur Group in July 2026.
At Malta-based Booming Games, which already supplies online casino slot games to approved operators in regulated markets in North America such as Ontario, he will oversee teams including account management, sales, market strategy, and commercial performance. Booming Games aims to obtain regulatory approval in every major global market within the next two years.
