Leading online affiliate and content marketing specialist Raketech announced that Oskar Mühlbach will depart from his role as chief executive officer. The company cited strategic disagreements between Mühlbach and the board as the reason for this departure but pointed out that all parties agreed to this development.

According to Raketech’s announcement, Mühlbach had different views on the strategic direction of the company and agreed to depart. He has been with the company since December 2019.

In the meantime, Johan Svensson, Raketech co-founder, chief commercial officer and former board member, will take on the role of acting CEO until a permanent substitute has been hired.

Svensson, for reference, stepped down from the company board in October 2023, opting to instead focus solely on his CCO role. Svensson served as the CEO of the company until 2017 and has the experience necessary to serve as interim head of the company until a suitable successor has been appointed.

According to Raketech’s announcement, Svensson assumes the role of acting CEO with immediate effect. This leadership change comes almost a month after the appointment of Dalia Turner as the company’s chief people officer.

Chair Bengtsson Thanked Mühlbach for His Contributions

Ulrik Bengtsson, Raketech’s board chairman, commented on the matter, praising Mühlbach for his incredible service. Bengtsson applauded the outgoing CEO’s leadership qualities, saying that he led the company through an important strategic transformation and a growth journey.

As Mühlbach and the Board of Directors have different views on the strategic considerations for the Company going forward, we have agreed to part companies. The Board is confident in appointing the co-founder and former Board member Johan Svensson to lead the company until a new permanent CEO is in place.

Ulrik Bengtsson, chairman, Raketech

Bengtsson thanked Mühlbach for the company’s success over the past years.

Following this announcement, the company’s shares plummeted but Raketech reassured investors that the leadership change will not change its FY 2023 guidance. For reference, Raketech is trading for SEK 17.42 per share as of the time of this writing.

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The second-largest gaming and entertainment operator on the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Entertainment, parted ways with up to ten of its entertainment executives, a new report claims. As announced by the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week, up to ten high-ranking entertainment executives were left out.

The latest report cites sources close to the matter, yet at the time of writing, Caesars hasn’t publicly disclosed any details on the topic. News about the number of executives that reportedly departed from the company follow the leave of Jason Gastwirth, Caesars’ president of entertainment. Back in December, Gastwirth confirmed his plans to step down from the company, ending his 13-year tenure.

According to the recent report, executives that may have been affected include Amy Naples, Jessica Tindor and Chris Yancey. Reportedly, Paul Shlisky, Mike Hodin and Mark Weinstein also parted ways with Caesars.

The departure of entertainment executives coincided with the start of Amy Graca’s tenure as senior vice president of entertainment at Caesars on January 2. Before assuming her new role, she held the position of senior vice president of ticketing at the leading gaming and entertainment company.

Additionally, Caesars confirmed its plans to release its fourth quarter and full year results for 2023. Last week, the company confirmed it would release its report on February 20, 2024.

The Company Hasn’t Confirmed a Reason for the Reshuffle

The leading gaming and entertainment giant is yet to confirm the reason for the senior-level reshuffle within its entertainment division. Currently, Caesars operates some of the most popular casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, including Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, as well as The LINQ Hotel + Experience, among others.

Back in December, Caesars Digital inked an important partnership, allowing it to grow its North American footprint. At the time, the company confirmed it joined forces with Hacksaw Gaming in a new deal for the market in Ontario, Canada. As a result, the leading iGaming content provider’s portfolio will be able to reach new customers through Caesars Digital.

Upon confirming the announcement, Caesars Digital revealed that the titles from Hacksaw Gaming will be integrated into Caesars Sportsbook and Casino, as well as Caesars Palace Online Casino. The two platforms currently operate within the regulated online gambling market in the province.

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The 2013-founded iGaming publisher that constantly expands its global reach via YG Masters, YG Game IP, and YG Franchise, Yggdrasil, has sealed yet another exciting alliance with ReelPlay after the release of Bucks and Doe 10K WAYS this July and Going Wild in Vegas WildFight in August.

Together with the studio that is known as the “home to the original Infinity Reels”, Yggdrasil has created a mesmerizing storyline of “epic proportions” in the newly released Hercules 10K WAYS slot. 

With an impressive win potential as a result of a plethora of bonus features mixed with the iconic 10K WAYS mechanic, the game is focused on one of the most popular of all heroes that Ancient Greek tales have given us – Hercules. 

Hercules 10K WAYS Metrics Overview

• Reels: 6
• Rows: 4
• Paylines: 117,649 Megaways
• RTP: 96.1%
• Hit frequency: 24.52%
• Max win: €183,244.5 
• Max multiplier: x6,108.15
• Bet: €1 (min: €0.20, max: €30)
• Volatility: Medium-High 
• Release date: September 12, 2023

The New Slot, Part of the YG Masters Portfolio

Created with the help of Yggdrasil’s GATI technology that allowed ReelPlay to use a variety of preconfigured, standard toolkits to generate the cutting-edge content of the slot, Hercules 10K WAYS is the freshest ReelPlay release that is now part of the prestigious YG Masters portfolio. 

The game closely follows equally interesting titles, including Going Wild in Vegas WildFight and Hot Rise’s Nightmares VS GigaBlox by Boomerang.

The exploration of the world-famous Greek heroes is done with the help of a plethora of “fearsome and richly rendered 3D beasts”, all defeated in the labors part of the well-known mythological tales. The list includes figures like Hydras, Cerberus, the Nemean Lion, or the Erymanthian Boar. 

Hercules represents the wild symbol in the game. Once a win is scored in the base game, the winning symbols are taken off the reels, making way for fresh symbols seen dropping as part of the cascading wins feature. 

Hercules Battles Spins and Victory Prizes 

To activate the multi-level mode Hercules Battles Spins feature, players need to land at least five Golden Apples. During the multi-level mode, players who defeat all beasts receive a bonus Victory Prize.

Originally, players are entitled to three respins prior to the epic duel that will be carried between Hercules and several beasts. The corresponding symbols of the beasts will feature both prize and health values. 

The feature will go on throughout multiple levels until Hercule no longer has any health left, or until he exits the battle victoriously. 

Yggdrasil’s chief gaming officer, Mark McGinley, expressed their thrill about being able to breathe life into the Labours of Hercules, which he called some of the “most famous mythological tales ever told.”

At the same time, ReelPlay’s chief executive officer, David Johnson, called the new slot one that “features titanic tussles and ferocious fights” in an adventure filled with action that is meant to take their successful 10K WAYS mechanic one step further.

Last week, Yggdrasil released the Chinese-themed slot GigaGong GigaBlox with a maximum multiplier set at 2,498x and the popular Game Engagement Mechanic, GigaBlox, at the center. 

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Gambling giant Flutter Entertainment announced that it is parting ways with Mary Turner, one of its non-executive directors. According to the announcement, the Canadian national will officially leave the board at the end of September, ending a three-year tenure.

In addition to departing from her position as a NED, Turner will also resign as chair of the workforce engagement committee. That position will be assumed by Nancy Cruickshank, another non-executive director, starting in October.

Turner is an experienced industry worker who initially served as a corporate director and chair of corporate governance and nominating committee at Stars Group. She joined the company in 2017 and remained on board until its merger with Flutter Entertainment in 2020.

Prior to her time in the gambling industry, Turner worked in senior positions at several other companies. Between 2002 and 2022, she served Mackenzie Financial Corporation as a corporate director. From 2015 to 2017, on the other hand, Turner had a short stint as the senior vice president of finance transformation at Canadian Tire Corporation. From 2012 to 2016, she also served as president and chief executive officer of Canadian Tire Bank.

Flutter Entertainment’s chairman, John Bryant, used the opportunity to thank Turner for her “exceptional contribution” to the board. On behalf of his team, he wished her all the best.

Bryant himself is a fairly new addition to Flutter’s team. He was appointed a week ago, replacing the outgoing Gart McGann.

In other news, Flutter Entertainment recently posted its financial results for the first half of the year. The company reported strong growth in revenue and EBITDA, as well as an increase in its overall number of monthly active players.

Flutter’s H1 revenue sat at $6.12 billion, representing a robust 42% year-on-year increase and underpinning the success of the company’s growth strategy. Group EBITDA, on the other hand, hit $1.04 billion. Flutter Entertainment’s monthly players, meanwhile, skyrocketed from 9.6 million in H1 2022 to 12.9 million in H1 2023.

The results were partially attributed to Flutter’s spectacular success in the United States.

In late July, Flutter Entertainment and Fox Corp decided to shut down their joint sports betting venture, FOX Bet. The decision followed multiple disagreements between the two parties.

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At the start of August, 18 months after its collapse, the Crystal Cruises line was brought back to life with the much-anticipated debut of its first pair of renovated ships. 

Parent company A&K Travel Group, which acquired Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony along with a few assets in 2022, also spoke about their plans to build four additional cruise ships. Two of the ships would be designed for expedition purposes while the other two would be used for ocean exploration.

Now, the line that is mostly popular in the US for the time being, has also expressed its plans to restore the two casinos that were an integral part of two of the largest cruise ships belonging to operator Crystal Cruises by Q3 2024.

Active Talks with a Concessionaire 

A Crystal spokeswoman clarified that the management of the line was currently involved in conversations with a concessionaire regarding the way they could bring back the two casinos that were removed from the two ships during refurbishment.

A&K Travel Group’s chief executive officer, Cristina Levis, spoke about the space occupied by the casinos which was, in their opinion, “too big”. Using a survey of the original line’s past guests, Crystal’s new management tried to establish the best course of action for the massive space left vacant by the removal of the casinos from the two cruise liners that were auctioned off on June 7, 2022. 

According to the results of the survey, only 5% of them would refuse to sail on a cruise ship that does not have a functioning casino. The findings were presented to travel advisors during Serenity’s inaugural sail that took place on July 31 from Marseille for a Mediterranean cruise.

In response, travel advisors spoke about the importance of a casino on board for many of their guests, thus convincing CEO Levis to rethink the new line’s strategy and start looking for solutions.

Symphony’s shakedown cruise that sailed on September 1 from Athens via the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Canada, New England, Alaska, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Levis took the opportunity to express her new plans to address the issue of the missing casinos on the two ships while also mentioning the existence of a potential location for the two gambling spaces. The new location would not take up as much space as the previous casinos. 

The Casinos, Currently Replaced with Lounges

At the moment, the original casino spaces on the ships were replaced with lounge spaces, with further management plans of turning them into show kitchens where cooking demonstrations would take place. 

Previously owned by Genting Hong Kong, Crystal Cruises escaped bankruptcy and liquidation last year. Its comeback in 2023 under the new ownership of Heritage Group via A&K Travel Group Ltd. and the management of VShips Leisure is expected to usher in a new era of “Exceptional Suites, Exceptional Service, Exceptional Dining, and Exceptional Experiences.”

In March, Crystal and Signature Travel Network inked an agreement that would turn the latter into the cruise line’s pioneer strategic sales and marketing supplier.

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Yggdrasil, the leading publisher of iGaming content that “breaths innovation” and pushes boundaries, has once again joined forces with the Sydney-based creator of high-quality digital gaming content best known for the original Infinity Reels, ReelPlay. 

The two released Bucks and Does 10K WAYS, a fresh slot with a hunting theme at the center that packs plenty of bonus respins and a buy feature. 

In April, the two partners released Cluster Pays Slot Hyper Respins, following the launch of Big Bucks Buffalo GigaBlox in March, to name just a couple of other successful collaborations between Yggdrasil and ReelPlay. 

The new game with a hunting theme at the center packs plenty of bonus respins and a buy feature, guaranteeing a wild and epic experience. 

Bucks and Doe 10K WAYS Metrics Overview

• Reels: 6 
• Rows: 4
• RTP: 96.1%
• Hit frequency: 28.65%
• Max multiplier: X6,116
• Max win: €243,150 
• Bet: min: €1 (min: €0.20, max: €40)
• Volatility: Medium-High
• Release date: July 18, 2023

The Slot, “Another Fantastic Collaboration” Through the GATI Program

Yggdrasil’s chief gaming officer, Mark McGinley, spoke about ReelPlay’s 10K WAYS mechanic, describing it as “exemplary” and explaining how it added a new angle to their YG Masters portfolio.

McGinley further spoke about the latest release as “another fantastic collaboration” via GATI, their dedicated technology that allows partners to use preconfigured, regulation-ready, and fully standardized development toolkits to generate content that is rapidly distributed.

ReelPlay’s chief executive officer, David Johnson, praised their 10K WAYS series’ ability to get “stronger with every release” while mentioning the Bonus Respins’ huge win potential thanks to the available modifiers. 

Finally, Johnson explained that, combined with the one-of-a-kind theme, the game is prone to turn into another precious addition to their partners’ portfolios.

Get Ready for a Chain of Explosions

The action takes place in a woodman’s cabin and wild bears are seen roaming around. The images are nicely rendered while the sounds create an even more authentic hunting atmosphere.

The game packs as many as 10,000 ways to win. Each of them brings players a chain of explosions consisting of extra wins including the Bonus Respins feature that features impressive prizes.

To trigger the Bonus Respins feature, players must land at least three Scatter symbols where animals are turned into Prize symbols. Deer, Elk, and Moose can reveal winnings of 1x to 100x, 150x, and 200x while hitting the juicy Trophy Bonus prizes will generate the ultimate reward of 2,000x. 

For even more rewarding wins, players need to keep a close eye on the special Bear, Hunter, and Ammunition symbols.

In some jurisdictions, players are allowed to quickly progress to the Bonus with the help of one of four available bonus buy options. Last week, Yggdrasil released Mayan Waterfalls via Thunderbolt Gaming, following the June launch of Starfire Fortunes TopHit, debuting its 10th game engagement mechanic, TopHit.

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Shai Tabibian, 888 Holdings’ SVP head of B2C will be departing from the company. The outgoing head made the announcement on LinkedIn, thanking his colleagues for the incredible moments they have had together.

Tabibian boasts 9 years with the company, serving the company in a variety of capacities. His tenure included stints as head of poker affiliates and regional marketing, poker marketing director and online acquisition marketing director. In April 2019, Tabibian was named VP of growth marketing. Two years later, he became the head of the company’s B2C division.

As noted by Tabibian, the 9-year period with 888 was his “second ride” with the company, which he also served for over 2 years between 2008 and 2011.

Tabibian Will Always Remain an 8ster

Tabibian thanked the 888 family for the laughter, collaboration and shared moments of triumph they had together. He said that working alongside the company’s talented team and dedicated individuals has been a blast. The outgoing head added that he feels incredibly lucky to have shared this journey with his 888 colleagues.

Following that, Tabibian thanked his managers, Shakked, Eyal Rivlin, Guy Cohen and Itai Pazner, who supported him, guided him and believed in his abilities. He praised them for their incredible leadership and mentorship skills and said that he is thankful for the personal and professional growth opportunities they provided him.

Tabibian concluded that he will always remember 888 fondly and that the company will always remain a part of him.

As I embark on a new adventure, I am filled with gratitude for the memories created and the lifelong connections made. As I probably will stay 8ster forever, It’s not a goodbye but a “see you later.”

Shai Tabibian

Tabibian’s departure comes several months after the company parted ways with Sivan Finn, its VP of strategic marketing.

888 Remains Optimistic Despite the Recent Turmoil

In other 888-related news, the company recently finalized its agreement with Paf, transferring its Latvian properties to the latter company. The move follows 888’s strategy to streamline its business. At the same time, the takeover was regarded as a long-term investment by Paf, which seeks to solidify its presence in the Baltics.

In April, 888 published its FY 2022 report, demonstrating mixed results. While certain metrics remained unstable the company’s management remained optimistic about the future. The company is assured that it is on track to driving amazing results by 2025, in spite of the recent William Hill trouble.

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Globally recognized entertainment and gaming company Kindred confirmed last week that its long-term CEO, Henrik Tjärnström, resigned from his role. The company didn’t wait long and announced the appointment of Nils Andén to the role of interim CEO, while the search for a permanent holder of the position likely has started as well. Kindred did not reveal a reason for the sudden departure of Tjärnström. Upon announcing his resignation, he said: “I am very pleased with the Board of Directors’ choice of Nils Andén as the interim CEO, guaranteeing a smooth hand over.”

Before Tjärnström’s resignation, Kindred also unveiled another C-suite departure. Earlier this month, the company confirmed that it plans to part ways with its chief financial officer (CFO), Johan Wilsby. At the time of the announcement Kindred did not point out a specific reason for that senior-level change, neither said who may fill in the role. Wilsby is expected to leave the company at some point this autumn, but a specific date for his departure wasn’t pointed out previously.

Now, more senior-level executives are reportedly planning to leave Kindred. A report released by CasinoBeats suggests that the company’s chief commercial officer (CCO), Anne-Jaap Snijders, as well as chief marketing officer (CMO), Elen Barber, plan to vacate their roles. Similar to the announcement about Wilsby, the duo plan to step down at some point this autumn.

Barber was a part of Kindred for more than a decade. She initially joined the company back in 2010 as a global affiliate manager. But Barber’s professional experience with Kindred includes senior-level roles such as head of digital advertising, head of performance marketing and head of affiliates. To the role of CMO, she was appointed back in January 2019.

“I’m proud to have played my part in Kindred’s success over the past 13 years.“

Elen Barber, chief marketing officer at Kindred Group

Snijders is another veteran with a decade of experience at Kindred. He first joined the company as general manager of Australia with Unibet Group in 2012. This happened before the rebranding of the company to Kindred. Throughout his professional career with the company, Snijders’ held different senior-level roles before he was appointed to CCO in 2019.

“I had a great time at Kindred.“

Anne-Jaap Snijders, chief commercial officer at Kindred

According to Kindred, the two newly announced departures are not related to the departure of Wilsby or Tjärnström announced previously. The company thanked Barber and Snijders for their dedication, support and “huge contributions” throughout their extensive career.

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Entain, a gaming, betting and entertainment giant, has unveiled changes to its leadership team. As announced by the company, Robert Hoskin, its chief governance officer, will be leaving the company after almost two decades on board.

Hoskin joined Entain in 2005 and now boasts over 18 years with the group. He originally served as company secretary and group director of legal, regulatory and secretariat. In 2020, he was promoted to his current role and, a year later, joined the company board.

Hoskin will retain his position as a board member until June 30 and will remain as chief governance officer until August 31. His responsibilities will be taken on by Simon Zinger, Entain’s acting general counsel, the company announced.

The changes come amid Entain’s decision to restructure certain responsibilities related to Regulatory Affairs. The group seeks to put compliance at the forefront of its business and focus exclusively on regulated gambling markets.

Hoskin Praised Entain’s Progress

Robert Hoskin released a statement on the matter, praising the company for its extraordinary transformation. He noted that Entain currently boasts “strong credentials as a best-in-class, responsible operator” that is backed by an experienced leadership team. In addition, the company is now fully committed to sustainability in all its forms, Hoskin said.

I am truly honored to have had the opportunity of playing a part in that extraordinary journey, and wish everyone at Entain all the best for the future.

Robert Hoskin, outgoing chief governance officer, Entain

Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Entain’s chief executive officer, also shared her thoughts, wishing Hoskin all the best. She noted that he had been “supportive, welcoming and helpful” to her when she joined Entain as a NED in 2019.

He has played an instrumental role in making Entain the success story that it is today, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to him for everything that he has done for me personally and the Group more widely.

Jette Nygaard-Andersen, CEO, Entain

Finally, Barry Gibson, chair of Entain, said that Hoskin had been central to the implementation of Entain’s sustainability plans. He saluted him as a great colleague and thanked him for his service.

Hoskin’s exit follows an update of Entain’s board and the creation of two new committees, namely the People & Governance Committee and the Sustainability & Compliance Committee.

According to Gibson, the newly-introduced changes will further diversify the company’s board.

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