The European Casino Association’s Per Jaldung has stepped down as Chairman after eight years and will be succeeded by Erwin van Lambaart.
Announced during the ECA General Assembly, held at ICE London 2023, the board approved the succession by a unanimous vote and, in recognition of his services to the ECA, Jaldung was presented with the title of Honorary President of the Assembly.
“It has been an honour to serve as Chairman of the ECA,” explained Jaldung. “The greatest asset of this industry is its people, and I have been privileged in this role to have experienced the warmest of welcomes from across all countries and all roles and positions within the diverse and multi- faceted European and international land-based casino sector.
“It has not been a role without its difficulties, and the industry continues to face ongoing headwinds from multiple directions, but the members of the ECA, and especially this Board of Directors and the new Chairman, can accept and master these challenges. I congratulate Erwin van Lambaart on his appointment as it is a role which he will tackle with the utmost energy and dedication.”
Jaldung has served as Chairman of the ECA since 2015. Prior to entering the casino entertainment business, he served in multiple capacities for the Stockholm Police Department and the National Criminal Intelligence Service for 13 years.
His background in law enforcement led him to Casino Cosmopol in 2002 as Head of Security and Surveillance, after which he was promoted to General Manager of the Gothenburg property in 2005. In 2008, Jaldung was appointed CEO of Casino Cosmopol, a role he held until December 31, 2022.
The new ECA Chairman van Lambaart has been a member of the ECA Board since 2021; he joined Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries as CEO in March 2022.
Van Lambaart has a substantial background in the media, hospitality, event, marketing and entertainment sectors. After graduating from the Hotel School in The Hague, he worked for 15 years in the international hotel industry. After this, he moved on to the global live entertainment world, where he worked for another 15 years.
In 2016, he took over as CEO of Holland Casinos. On March 14, 2022, Erwin van Lambaart moved to Austria and took up his position as CEO of Casinos Austria AG and O¨sterreichische Lotterien GmbH.
“I am delighted to have been appointed as Chairman of the European Casino Association by my peers in this amazing industry,” Jaldung commented. “I understand that it is a big responsibility to serve the ECA members in these challenging times for the casino industry.
“I would personally like to thank Per Jaldung for his distinguished stewardship of the association and for his ongoing support, advice and leadership. I look forward to working with him in the future and wish him the best in his new ventures.
“The licensed European casino industry continues to face great changes and even disruptions. In the coming weeks, I will be working with the ECA members and the ECA board as well as our partners on the priorities for the future work of our association.”
The new chairman of the ECA Erwin van Lambaart is supported in his new role by the ECA Senior Vice Chair, Pascal Camia, from Monte-Carlo SBM and the Vice Chair Tiina Siltanen.
The General Assembly additionally approved in the same session that Yared Gabretensye, General Manager of Casino Cosmopol in Malmo, Sweden, will take Per Jaldung’s seat representing Sweden on the Board of Directors until next year’s elections.