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With comings and goings commonplace across the industry, FSB, WynnBet, and Realistic Games, all feature in our latest rundown of a number of recent manoeuvres.

Realistic Games

Jaana Repo has been recruited to strengthen the Realistic Games commercial department, with her skills and knowledge to be “vital” in managing developments with key clients across all of its markets.

Jaana arrives from NetEnt where she held the role of key account manager, and boasts over eight years’ experience in the igaming industry with a host of companies, such as IGT and Gamesys Group

Robert Lee, commercial director at Realistic Games, said: “The team and I are absolutely delighted to welcome Jaana on board where her industry knowledge and skillset will undoubtedly prove a huge asset to the team as we continue to evolve the company’s commercial interests in regulated markets.”

WynnBet

WynnBet, the online sports betting and igaming app from Wynn Resorts, has appointed 20-year gaming industry veteran Ian Williams as COO.

In this role, Williams will manage the brand’s trading, marketing, customer service, payments, and data science teams, reporting directly to Wynn Interactive CEO Craig Billings.

Williams most recently served as president of online gaming for Churchill Downs, and spent the last five years contributing to the development of the group’s Interactive division.

FSB

Omnichannel sports betting and igaming supplier FSB has hired industry veteran Madinia Melanis as VP of program management on the firm’s North American senior management team, effective November 12. 

She joins from IGT where she held several roles over a distinguished eight-year career including that of senior manager – head of North American PlaySports PMO. 

In her new role, Melanis will be responsible for on-boarding of the company’s North American client base, ensuring an effective and seamless delivery experience. She has also been tasked with building out its expanding retail and online delivery teams in the region.

Ian Freeman, chief revenue officer at FSB, commented: “Madinia is a major coup for FSB and she will play a key part in our plans for the North American market. She has incredible experience and knowledge of the industry and the wider sports betting market, and we are thrilled to be able to leverage this. 

“FSB is at the cutting-edge of retail and online gambling technologies and as we further establish ourselves in North America we will continue to onboard the best talent in the business and in Madinia we have certainly done that.”

Glücksspielbehörde

Germany’s new gambling regulator, the Glücksspielbehörde, has detailed its ambition to pursue a dual leadership strategy, appointing Ronald Benter and Benjamin Schwanke as its leading executives.

The regulatory body aims to strengthen its leadership and supervisory oversight of the German betting and gaming market, which was officially launched according to a re-regulated format on 1 July.

All 16 of the nation’s federal states have chosen to observe the regulatory requirements of the Fourth Interstate Treaty (GlüNeuRStv), the passage of which ended a 12-year deliberation concerning gambling at a national federal level, although the new laws have faced some criticism for implementing anti-competitive’ tax rates among other issues.