Every Thursday, SBC Americas rounds up major leadership changes in the U.S. gaming industry. This week’s ‘Hires and Higher-Ups’ brings news of CEO changes at OpenBet and Light & Wonder’s SciPlay, as well as other executive updates from Catena Media, IGT, Polymarket, and more.

OpenBet promotes president to replace CEO Jordan Levin

Sports betting technology supplier OpenBet announced on Tuesday that CEO Jordan Levin will transition to the role of chairman at the end of 2026 and will be replaced as chief executive by Nikos Konstakis.

Konstakis is currently president of OpenBet, helping to drive operational and commercial execution and shape strategic priorities, and will move into the top job in time for 2027. Meanwhile, Levin will continue to play an active role in shaping OpenBet’s long-term strategy as chairman.

“Nikos has already been instrumental in driving the evolution of OpenBet and I have tremendous confidence in his leadership as CEO, having served in multiple and progressing senior executive positions at OpenBet,” said Levin. “He knows our business, our customers and our technology inside out, and has played a central role in shaping our priorities and how we execute against them.”

Konstakis said a key focus will be building OpenBet’s customer base and expansion opportunities.

The announcement comes a year after OpenBet completed a $450m management buyout from WWE and UFC owner Endeavor Group Holdings, with participation from Levin and other OpenBet executives. Meanwhile, OpenBet recently announced its planned acquisition of technology supplier OmniLogic, which it said will further strengthen its position in the global lottery market.

SciPlay hunting for next CEO

Another major gaming supplier, Light & Wonder, announced late last week that Josh Wilson will step down from his role as CEO of the social casino business SciPlay effective Oct. 30. The company did not provide any reason for the departure of Wilson, who has spent the last 13 years at Scientific Games and Light & Wonder.

Light & Wonder has begun a search to appoint a permanent replacement for Wilson. In the interim, he will be replaced as SciPlay leader by Light & Wonder CFO Oliver Chow, who will operate in both roles until a successor is found. The parent company does not expect any material changes to its SciPlay business.

“Josh has made a substantial contribution to SciPlay over more than two decades, taking the business through its initial public offering and building a portfolio of leading social casino titles alongside a strong team and culture,” said Light & Wonder CEO and President Matt Wilson. “On behalf of the Board and the leadership team, I thank him for that contribution and wish him well. We are taking the time to appoint the right leader for SciPlay’s next phase.

“In the meantime, Oliver will work closely with the talented and experienced SciPlay leadership team, whose deep knowledge of the business, brands and players will provide important continuity as we move through this transition. Our confidence in the social casino category, in SciPlay’s brands and in the opportunity to grow direct-to-consumer remains unchanged.”

Polymarket continues spate of executive hires

Moving over to prediction markets for a moment, Polymarket continued its recent flurry of senior executive appointments by bringing in former DoorDash General Manager Collin McKinney Hill as its new VP of Operations.

“As prediction markets move from niche to mainstream, operational rigor becomes the thing that separates platforms that scale from platforms that stall,” said Polymarket. “Collin’s track record is exactly what this moment calls for.” McKinney Hill called his move an “enormous” opportunity to help lead Polymarket forward.

CEO Shayne Coplan announced the hire on X.

McKinley Hill is the latest in a string of new leaders to join the prediction markets platform, a list that also includes:

• Ex-Uber and Lyft executive Travis VanderZanden as chief growth officer
• Warren Jenson as the company’s first CFO
• Government affairs veteran Rob Eskridge as head of U.S. government relations
• Ex-Robinhood leader Megan McGrath as chief compliance officer of Polymarket U.S.
• Former Nasdaq executive Paul Jordan as the U.S. business’ chief risk officer

Icahn-requested board members leave Caesars

It was revealed last week, before Caesars Entertainment shareholders approved the $17.6bn take-private takeover by Fertitta Entertainment, that two board members appointed at the request of investor Carl Icahn resigned from their positions.

Icahn Enterprises CEO Ted Papapostolou and General Counsel Jesse Lynn stepped down ahead of the special meeting at which a majority of stockholders voted to accept Tilman Fertitta’s company’s acquisition.

Icahn made his own ultimately unsuccessful competing bids to acquire the Nevada giant, which Caesars rejected citing heavy debt leverage, executive risks, and unresolved financing.

IGT names new Chief Studios Officer

IGT announced on Monday that current SVP of U.S. Game Studios Jamie Knight has been promoted to Chief Studios Officer to Jean Venneman, who will retire at the end of 2026 after more than 30 years in the industry.

Knight will take up the mantle of leading IGT’s continued studio investments and driving innovation across game design, content development, and studio operations.

“I’m energized to lead our studio teams and build on the strong foundation in place,” said Knight. “Together with our talented teams across IGT and Everi, we’ll push the boundaries of what’s possible in game design, content strategy, and math innovation to deliver world-class experiences on the floor.”

IGT CEO Hector Fernandez added that Venneman’s leadership created the foundation for IGT’s next phase of growth and that Jamie’s combination of creative instinct, leadership, and innovation and design focus will help the company explore new possibilities across its combined studio organization.

Soft2Bet expands senior B2B leadership with dual appointment

Online gaming supplier and operator Soft2Bet expanded its B2B leadership team with two appointments this week.

• James Hancock is the company’s new VP of B2B marketing
• Harry Heynes has joined as business development director

The company said the duo will add extensive commercial, platform, and strategic experience to its B2B management team as it looks to accelerate its growth and the reach of its proprietary iGaming technologies across regulated markets worldwide.

Ex-Paddy Power, Stars Group, and GiG leader Hancock will work closely with Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Cochrane to elevate Soft2Bet’s market positioning, drive global brand strategy, and enlist new partners for the company’s scalable platform architecture to a new audience of potential partners. Heynes, a former business development director at DraftKings and Inspired Gaming, will focus on increasing adoption and growth of the Soft2Bet iGaming platform and develop new partnerships in key regulated markets.

Catena Media names Martin Zetterlund interim CTO

Finally, affiliate firm Catena Media appointed director Martin Zetterlund as interim chief technology officer on Sept. 17.

On a consultancy basis, Zetterlund will lead the group’s technology function and report directly to CEO Manuel Stan until a permanent CTO is named. He has been a member of the board at Catena since December 2024 and will remain so during his CTO assignment.
  
“Martin has followed our technology work closely from the board and knows the organization well,” said Stan. “His experience of building and running technology businesses will support the team while we complete the recruitment of a permanent CTO.”