Scientific Games Corporation, continuing a management shakeup that saw former digital division chief Barry Cottle replace Kevin Sheehan as CEO, announced last week that Doug Albregts, who has held senior level positions at electronics and digital companies but has no gaming industry experience, will replace Derik Mooberry as group chief executive, gaming.
Mooberry will remain with the company as executive vice president of strategic products.
Albregts joins Scientific Games from Sharp Electronics Corporation of America, where he held numerous senior executive-level positions. He has also held executive management roles focused on enterprise growth in multinational digital technology companies such as American Express, NEC and Samsung.
As group chief executive, gaming, Albregts will oversee Scientific Games’ product development, production, supply chain and sales of the company’s gaming products, systems and services.
“I am excited to join Scientific Games as Barry Cottle becomes the new CEO and all SG is poised to continue to lead the industry,” Albregts said. “My passion for driving innovation, promoting operational excellence and executive leadership skills, and experience developing cutting-edge commercial technology will enable me to hit the ground running, executing our growth strategies and continuing our momentum as a company.
“I look forward to meeting our customers, understanding players’ needs, expanding in new and growing markets and driving growth for our customers and shareholders.”
The company also announced that industry veteran Steve Schrier will join the SG Digital division as chief commercial officer. Schrier will establish customer partnerships and be responsible for all account management and business development across SG Digital.
Schrier has spent over two decades in senior commercial roles spanning technology, product and gaming. He was most recently the vice president of sales at Playtech and prior to that, headed up the commercial team at Ash Gaming. Schrier will start in July and at SG Digital’s London office reporting to Chief Operating Officer Jason Walbridge.
“Steve’s appointment marks the elevation of our customer engagement strategy, as we pursue partnerships with our customers to cement SG Digital’s position as a global digital gaming powerhouse,” said Matt Davey, CEO of SG Digital. “Across the division, we continue to strengthen our ability to execute at speed and capture the increasing global demand for our products and technology in Europe, U.S., Canada and the Asia-Pacific region.
“Our customers are the heart of our business, and we continue to place significant value and effort on their end-to-end experience with us. I’d like to welcome Steve to SG Digital and look forward to working alongside him.”
Schrier commented, “SG Digital is home to the world’s leading gaming, sports book and iLottery products. We have one of the most diverse portfolios of in-house and third-party content in the industry. We have an ambitious executive team, a highly skilled workforce across 17 countries, the broadest portfolio in the industry and the leading sports betting platform in the world.
“I’m hugely excited to be bringing my commercial and customer engagement experience to the division. The industry continues to go through a rapid period of transformation, and SG Digital is advancing on all fronts under Scientific Games’ leadership. Across the commercial team, we will be devoting substantial energy and resources to leading the industry with a relentless focus on partnering with world-class customers and delivering industry-leading customer engagement.”
And finally, SG Digital announced the appointment of Nikos Konstakis as its new VP Sportsbook Product.
Konstakis will be responsible for overseeing OpenBet’s product development roadmap and delivering and enhancing its sportsbook proposition for its customers following the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Betting Act. Konstakis has a wealth of industry experience. He was previously VP trading at OpenBet and spent 16 years at Intralot, an Athens-based gaming company, with his last position being group director of betting.
Keith O’Loughlin, SVP sportsbook and platforms at SG Digital, said: “Appointing Nikos to the role of VP Sportsbook Product is an important step in our strategy towards productization and developing the next generation of the OpenBet portfolio.
“His knowledge of the sports betting industry is a valuable asset for us, and he is already playing a key role in our preparations for entry into the U.S. regulated market with a significantly improved proposition.”
Konstakis said, “I’m thrilled to have started my new role with SG Digital in an extremely exciting period for the company and our industry.
“We have a strong customer base, and I look forward to working closely alongside our partners, delivering them value with our world-class OpenBet sportsbook, as well as introducing innovative product enhancements to take the platform to the next level.”
SG Digital’s preparations for a legalized U.S. sports betting market are well underway, with sportsbook product review sessions already taking place with New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).
