Gambling in the USA

Accel Entertainment Announces Two Senior Executive Appointments

Published

4 years ago

March 11, 2020

QiH Group bolsters UK headquarters with three new hires

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Accel Entertainment, Inc. announced two appointments to its executive management team, with Ryan Hammer named as President of Gaming Operations and Michael Marino named as Chief Commercial Officer. Both appointments are effective immediately and will report directly to Andy Rubenstein, Accel’s Chief Executive Officer.

As President of Gaming Operations, Mr. Hammer will lead the company’s video gaming business in Illinois and additional states. Initially he will be based out of Chicago but later this year he will build the Company’s presence in Southern Illinois and new opportunities in other states. As Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Marino will lead the company’s strategic development with a focus on incremental service offerings, partnerships, marketing, analytics and loyalty. Mr. Hammer and Mr. Marino will both be based in Illinois.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Ryan and Michael to the Accel family and to our executive management team,” said Andy Rubenstein, CEO of Accel. “The opportunities for Accel to rapidly expand beyond our current footprint are steadily increasing, and with these two key hires we are now even better positioned to execute our vision of being a multi-state operator with a differentiated range of gaming-as-a-service solutions. Being able to recruit executives of their caliber speaks to the exciting opportunities in front of Accel and we look forward to their contributions.”

“In the past few years Accel has established itself as an absolute leader in the video gaming market and I could not be more honored to join the company,” said Ryan Hammer, President of Gaming Operations. “Accel represents the most exciting growth opportunity within the distributed gaming sector and is one of the best capitalized companies in the entire industry. I look forward to applying my operational and financial skills to build on Accel’s current momentum.”

“This is a truly exciting time in the history of Accel and I could not be more pleased to begin collaborating with this highly respected team,” said Michael Marino, Chief Commercial Officer. “I have long admired Accel’s entrepreneurial spirit and energy and its relentless focus on building and maintaining partnerships which has ultimately contributed to their success and reputation as a leader in the industry. I joined because of my conviction that Accel has an exciting growth agenda and I look forward to bringing my skills and expertise to help make that a reality.”

A native of Illinois, Mr. Hammer joins Accel with more than 16 years of gaming experience working in various roles at Caesars Entertainment Corporation, most recently serving as Senior Vice President & General Manager, where he oversaw operations at five Las Vegas resorts. Mr. Hammer began his career with the company in 2003 as an Analytics Manager and since that time has held a number of executive roles of increasing importance in finance, human resources and operations, and across five markets including Chicago, Louisville, Atlantic City, St. Louis and Las Vegas. Mr. Hammer holds a B.S. in Finance from Southern Illinois University, an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and a J.D. from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. He is currently a board member for the Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada.

A resident of Chicago, Mr. Marino joins Accel after 8 years of experience in a variety of marketing, strategy and analytic roles at Caesars Entertainment. He most recently served the last three years as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Chief Experience Officer where he managed the end-to-end customer journey including oversight of Caesars Rewards, the gaming industry’s leading loyalty program, partnerships, advertising, brand, digital and online hotel distribution. He also helped expand Caesars’ efforts in sports inclusive of marketing, partnerships and betting. Mr. Marino’s earlier roles at Caesars included oversight of marketing analytics, Vice President and Chief of Staff to the Chairman & CEO and Senior Vice President of loyalty and digital. Prior to Caesars, Mr. Marino worked four years as a management consultant at Bain & Company and five years in a variety of marketing, risk management, strategy and M&A roles at Capital One Financial. Mr. Marino holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Related Topics:Accel Entertainment Michael Marino Ryan Hammer

Up Next

INDIANA SPORTSBOOKS MAKE MOST OF FEBRUARY WITH $187 MILLION IN BETS Super Bowl and basketball drive state handle to new monthly record, according to PlayIndiana analysts

Don't Miss

Fourth Consecutive U.S. Record For Scientific Games’ Scratch-Offs Partner Florida Lottery

Click to comment

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – November 27-December 3

Published

13 hours ago

December 4, 2023

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new appointments. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Rush Street Interactive announced that a woman from Cumberland County, NJ hit the IGT MegaJackpot at BetRivers.com. The 33-year-old woman hit the jackpot with a $0.60 bet, winning $662,000 while playing at home on her mobile phone.

betJACK has received a top ranking among the nation’s largest online sports betting brands. In a comprehensive evaluation conducted by research firm Eilers and Krejcik, betJACK emerged as a top performer, securing its place alongside the nation’s best online sports betting products.

On 26 June 2024, the starting pistol will be fired in São Paulo for the first gamescom latam, the new gamescom satellite event for all of South America. This was announced at an event in Brazil by the involved partners: game – The German Games Industry Association, Koelnmesse, BIG Festival and Omelete Company.

The Global Esports Federation’s pro-series – Global Esports Tour (GET) – will kick off its next season in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in April 2024. Staged by the Brazilian Confederation of Games and Esports (CBGE) and strongly supported by Brazil’s National, State and Local partners. The event promises intense competition and a boost for economic and tourism development in the vibrant city.

As part of its strategic review, Kindred Group will exit the North American market with the expectations to have fully exited operations in the market by the end of Q2 2024, subject to the regulatory process. The Group also announced decisive actions to drive growth on core markets and dedicated cost reduction initiatives, which includes a reduction of over 300 employees and consultants during 2024.

Golden Nugget Casino Biloxi was one of several Coast casinos where the buffet didn’t return after the pandemic, and now that space is about to be repurposed. Golden Nugget and DraftKings announced last Tuesday the addition of a high-tech retail sportsbook area that will open in January.

iGaming Ontario (iGO)’s vision is to lead the world’s best gaming market, which includes building a safer and more enjoyable experience for all igaming players in Ontario. To support players who decide to stop or take a break from gambling, iGO is going to issue a request for proposals (RFP) in early 2024 for a centralised self-exclusion solution that will enable a player to self-exclude from all Ontario regulated igaming operators in a single registration process.

Jackpot Digital announced that it has received licensing approval from the Jackson Rancheria Tribal Gaming Agency, the regulator for Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort located in Jackson, California.

New Appointments

Aruze Gaming Global has appointed Betty Zhao as its SVP of International Operations. Formerly the Chief Operating Officer at LT Game since 2007, Betty Zhao demonstrated a unique blend of strategic vision and operational excellence in overseeing LT Game’s operations, including marketing, sales, product development and casino operations.

Betsul has appointed Fernando Garita as its new CEO. With more than two decades of expertise in the gaming industry sector, Garita served as regional director and director of business development at Betcris, in addition to having an extensive portfolio of projects throughout Latin America, as well as Asia.

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – November 20-26

Published

1 week ago

November 27, 2023

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Latest News

Juicy Stakes Casino has announced Thanksgiving-themed promotions, offering various incentives to its players during the festive season. The online platform aims to engage its audience through a series of offers centred around the Thanksgiving holiday. One of the main features of their promotional campaign is the Thanksgiving Dinner Lucky Pick. This offering aims to provide players with a chance to uncover surprises and exclusive deals by selecting from four Thanksgiving platters. These selections may yield Free Spins, Deposit Bonuses and Poker Promotions.

Bet365 has announced its official launch into the state of Louisiana. With this news, the Pelican State becomes the seventh state of bet365’s expansion in the US, which already includes Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia.

New York State’s Responsible Play Partnership, consisting of New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG), New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and New York State Gaming Commission, continues to improve the voluntary self-exclusion (VSE) process at gaming facilities across the state. The NYCPG has launched a new free VSE Support Programme to help individuals who recognise they may have a gambling problem quickly find the resources they need to exclude themselves from gambling activities in New York.

Partnerships

Bet365 have extended their support of the US Darts Masters with a new sponsorship agreement for the World Series of Darts event in New York. The leading online betting sportsbook has enjoyed two successful years as the title sponsor of the US Darts Masters since the event moved to The Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The bet365 US Darts Masters is one of the World Series’ most popular events, with eight top PDC stars facing off against eight North American contenders across two days.

Hornets Sports & Entertainment and bet365 announced an exclusive long-term partnership under which bet365 becomes an Official Partner of the Charlotte Hornets and will become the Official Mobile Sports Betting Partner of the Charlotte Hornets subject to bet365 becoming licensed to operate in North Carolina. The partnership provides bet365 with significant branding and signage at Spectrum Centre, as well as on hornets.com, Hornets social media platforms, the Hornets App and the team’s TV and radio game broadcasts.

BetMGM has collaborated once again with actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens for its latest online casino campaign, “Library of Games”. The campaign premiered on Monday, Nov. 20. It is a 30-second fresh spot featuring Vanessa Hudgens in an iGame library, and it comes to life using the BetMGM app on her smartphone.

Pragmatic Play is achieving further expansion in Paraguay and Brazil after signing a multi-vertical deal with Giro Win. The deal encompasses the supplier’s Slots, Live Casino and Virtual Sports products, bringing its portfolio to an even greater LatAm audience. Pragmatic Play’s Slots portfolio has seen numerous player-favourite additions in recent weeks that will soon be available for Giro Win’s costumers, including new titles in the iconic Big Bass franchise as well as the renowned John Hunter series. The agreement also includes award-winning staples such as Sugar Rush and Gates of Olympus.

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – November 13-19

Published

2 weeks ago

November 20, 2023

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Latest News

Spatial announced its first season of in-house games; Punch Hero, Racing Empire, Infinite Ascent, Shooty Shooty, Mostly Only Up, Buddy Blitz, & Cyber Punk: Neon Ghost, as well a host of externally built games from leading gaming studios, IzyPlay and Zaibatsu. This marks the first of several releases for Spatial in time for the holidays, with more Spatial-built and external games to be announced, giving developers the power to build the most beautiful games for the browser straight out of Unity – redefining the boundaries of web-based gaming.

Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto announced that its brand-new, state-of-the-art poker room is now fully open with all 30 tables operating around the clock, seven days a week and the introduction of its “Bad Beat” Jackpot. Located on a private floor, this exciting addition to Canada’s largest and newest casino resort caters to the vibrant poker community’s growing demand.

Bragg Gaming Group Inc. announced that President and Chief Operating Officer, Lara Falzon, has provided notice that she will resign from her positions, effective December 31, 2023. Ms. Falzon will remain actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the Company until this date.

Everi Holdings Inc., a premier provider of land-based and digital casino gaming content and products, financial technology, player loyalty solutions and bingo, announced the deployment of Entegrity, Everi’s fourth-generation Anti-Money Laundering (AML) solution, at Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort in Granite Falls, Minn.

The Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued PointsBet Canada Operations 1 Inc., a registered internet gaming operator, a Notice of Monetary Penalty totaling $150,000 for failing to meet Ontario’s responsible gambling requirements.

International Game Technology (IGT) announced that it recently installed its Floor Manager systems technology at Casino of Mendoza in Godoy Cruz, in the province of Mendoza, Argentina, marking the solution’s first deployment in the region.

Partnerships

International Game Technology PLC announced that it is growing its sports betting presence in Puerto Rico via a multi-year IGT PlaySports technology and services agreement with Ponce Plaza Hotel & Casino. Located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the casino will leverage IGT PlaySports’ award-winning technology and experienced trading advisory services team to power Puerto Rico’s first casino brand-led retail and mobile sportsbook, PlayBets by Ponce Plaza.

Paysafe, a leading payments platform, announced a new partnership with Fanatics Betting and Gaming, the subsidiary of global digital sports platform Fanatics Holdings Inc. Under the deal, Fanatics Sportsbook has integrated with Paysafe to offer its customers traditional card payments and other alternative payment methods (APMs).

Elys Game Technology Corp., an interactive gaming and sports betting technology company, announced a market access agreement with Caesars Entertainment that unlocks immediate access to the lucrative Colorado sports betting market. This strategic agreement signals Elys’ first entry into the North American mobile sports betting landscape.

emerchantpay, a leading global payment service provider and acquirer, announced that it will further support well-established gambling operator Pinnacle in the Ontario market. The announcement comes as the two businesses celebrate the one-year milestone of this strategic partnership facilitating the operator’s expansion in Ontario.