Who’s going where and doing what in the gaming industry

» 888 HOLDINGS

888, one of the world’s leading online gaming entertainment and solutions providers, has tapped Vaughan Lewis for the newly created role of chief strategy officer. Vaughan will join 888 in early 2021.

Vaughan comes to 888 from Flutter Entertainment, where he held the position of transformation lead for the international business following its acquisition of The Stars Group. Prior to that, he held the roles of senior vice president of communications at The Stars Group and director of corporate development at Sky Betting & Gaming. Previously, he was an equity research analyst at Morgan Stanley specializing in betting and gaming companies.

» HOWARD & HOWARD

Howard & Howard attorney Jennifer Carleton is sharing her significant experience in gaming and Native American/Indian Gaming Law as an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Boyd School of Law. Carleton is teaching an online course this semester entitled “Special Topics: Indian Gaming Law.”

The class, offered for the first time at Boyd School of Law, will explore numerous legal issues involved in the operation of tribal gaming facilities in the U.S. It also examines the background and history of tribal gaming in North America; the provisions and application of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA); and the powers of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).

» ISOFTBET

Experienced commercial and sales i-gaming executive Lars Kollind has been named head of business development for iSoftBet, as the company prepares for significant expansion in 2021.

Kollind has spent more than a decade in senior commercial, sales and marketing roles within the gaming sector. He was most recently at Playson, where he was business development manager. Prior to that, he was B2B global gaming and global sales director at Aspire Global.

In his new role, Kollind will work closely alongside iSoftBet’s commercial and marketing teams to build and strengthen internal and external relationships, further develop sales and understand customer needs, and implement strategies to increase revenue and acquire new business opportunities. He is also responsible for reviewing and assessing new ways to enter emerging markets as well as developing new product and service offerings to better meet the needs of iSoftBet customers.

» LIVE! CASINO & HOTEL PHILADELPHIA 

Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia has appointed Krystal Jones to the post of senior vice president and chief financial officer.

In this role, Jones will oversee the development and management of financial operations, as well as provide strategic direction on all financial activities at the new gaming, dining and entertainment destination set to open in early 2021.

Bringing nearly a decade of finance and operations experience to her new role, Jones most recently served as the vice president of finance for Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. During her tenure, she was responsible for the development of and adherence to the property financial plan, key performance metrics and cost control objectives. Jones also served as the key liaison between the property and investors for all financial matters.
Jones also previously worked as the executive director of finance at Maryland-based MGM National Harbor, where she was a key member of the opening team.

» MOHEGAN SUN

Kelly McKinnon has been promoted to chief financial officer for Mohegan Sun. She will be rejoining the Mohegan Sun team in an executive capacity after spending the past 15 months at the corporate division of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE), serving as the director of analytics.

As CFO, McKinnon will oversee all aspects of finance for MGE’s flagship property, Mohegan Sun, in Uncasville, Conn. She joined Mohegan Sun in 2006 as a budget analyst and has held multiple positions, including financial planning and analysis manager, and director of financial planning and analysis, where she developed and analyzed ideas to grow the business and improve financial results. McKinnon also led Mohegan Sun’s labor and productivity department and was instrumental in centralizing its scheduling, time and attendance functions.

McKinnon was promoted to director of analytics for MGE in 2019, where she was a key contributor in various enterprise-wide business decisions and ventures, including assisting in identifying operating and cash management opportunities during MGE’s acquisitions of Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Canada.

» NOVOMATIC AMERICAS

Jeffrey Goodman, accomplished gaming and hospitality industry executive who has built an extensive track record of success with casino operators, has joined the Novomatic Americas executive team.

He will work out of the corporate headquarters in Mount Prospect, Ill.

Goodman began his gaming career in 1990 at the Atlantis Casino in the Bahamas and was placed in the executive management training program in 2000. A year later, he was named “Casino Executive of the Year” by the Bahamas Hotel Association.

He spent a total of 18 years with Penn National Gaming, nine years at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, as the director of slot operations and vice president of slot operations, before taking the role of vice president of casino operations at Hollywood Casino in Toledo, Ohio.

His role with Novomatic Americas includes overseeing the sales growth and development of all North American markets.

» SIS

SIS (Sports Information Services), a leading multi-channel supplier of 24/7 live betting services, has promoted Helen Ridley to the new role of head of group account management, and appointed Michele Fischer as digital sales consultant for the U.S. market, as part of SIS’s international expansion strategy.

Ridley has spent five-and-a-half years at SIS, having formerly held the role of major account manager. In her newly created role, she will be responsible for leading the major account team to further build global operator group relationships.

Fischer, who will be based in the U.S., brings a wealth of racing and gaming experience to SIS. Prior to forming her own horse racing consultancy firm, Darting Star, in 2018, Fischer held the role of vice president, sales and business development for the Americas at Sportech, where she had a 15-year tenure. In her role with SIS, Fischer will be responsible for further extending the company’s presence in the U.S.