PEOPLE
SPORTS BETTING TITAN ENGLISH DIES
Sports betting legend John English died last month after a brief illness . English , a
John English
fixture at a multitude of domestic and international gaming conferences , had a lasting impact on the sports betting and greater casino industries .
English came to Nevada as a teenager from Buffalo , New York . At the time , Nevada was the only jurisdiction in the United States where sports betting was legal . As an avid sports fan and sports bettor , he took a hobby and turned it into an avocation . His passion for the game evolved and he sought to develop products and services that would not only enhance the sports betting experience but revolutionize the industry through innovation and technology .
One of English ’ s most innovative ideas was the development of one of Nevada ’ s first sports betting kiosks . This occurred in an era when Wi-Fi , and even wired internet , were still in their infancy , and internet communications still required a dial-up connection . He envisioned a system where a sports bettor could communicate with a betting terminal via a dial-up connection to a betting machine . He eventually presented a more robust concept and ultimately received approval for SBX , a stand-alone sports betting kiosk .
English joined American Wagering Incorporated ( AWI ) in 2009 . AWI operated approximately 130 Leroy ’ s Sports Books across the state of Nevada . English envisioned how technology could bring the sports betting experience closer to the consumer .
At AWI , English started work on developing Nevada ’ s first mobile sports betting app . While there , he also served an integral role in the sale of AWI and the Leroy ’ s Sports Book brand to William Hill , the British bookmaker .
English ’ s expertise extended beyond sports betting . In fact , one of his most innovative ideas involved melding the concepts of lottery with electronic gaming . For example , he developed the Million Dollar Ticket . While lotteries were illegal in Nevada , there was an exception for a lottery-style bonus if it were made available through machine wagering . The Million Dollar Ticket brought life-altering jackpot bonuses to slot and video poker machines in Nevada taverns .
Once the U . S . Supreme Court repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018 , other states introduced mobile and kiosk sports betting , and English ’ s concepts became ubiquitous in the products that Americans use today when making a sports bet .
ARISTOCRAT NAMES MATTHEW PRIMMER CPO
Slot supplier Aristocrat Leisure
Limited announced the appointment of Matthew Primmer Matthew Primmer to the position of chief product officer , reporting directly to Aristocrat CEO & Managing Director Trevor Croker . Primmer ’ s appointment is effective immediately .
He will join Aristocrat ’ s Executive Steering Committee , and remain based at the company ’ s offices in Las Vegas .
Primmer comes to the role with over 20 years experience in the global gaming industry , including 10 years at Aristocrat in a range of senior product strategy , insight and leadership roles in Australia and the United States . He has been chief product officer at U . S . -based Aristocrat Gaming for four years , leading design & development in Aristocrat ’ s largest operating business , with casino game content and hardware comprising its most strategically important portfolios .
Primmer previously held marketing and sales roles at Ainsworth Game Technology and Shuffle Master .
GAN MAKES McGILL PERMANENT CEO
GAN Limited , a leading B2B technology provider of realmoney internet gaming solutions and a leading international B2C operator of internet sports betting , announced that Seamus McGill has been named the company ’ s chief executive officer on a permanent basis . McGill had served as interim CEO since the September 2023 departure of Derek Smurfit .
McGill will remain on the company ’ s board of directors and will be focused on guiding the company towards a timely closing of its merger with Sega Sammy Creation , Inc .
BMM TESTLABS PROMOTES JEAN CORRIVEAU TO SVP
International gaming testing company BMM Testlabs announced the promotion of Jean Corriveau to senior vice president of global quality assurance and BMM Canada regional executive . In this expanded role , Corriveau will oversee the company ’ s global product quality assurance
Seamus McGill
Jean Corriveau
efforts , ensuring high standards of excellence across all BMM operations . Additionally , as the BMM Canada regional executive , Corriveau will spearhead BMM ’ s global product QA strategic initiatives to drive growth , innovation and excellence .
Corriveau ’ s 23-year trajectory in the gaming industry underscores his expertise and adaptability . His journey began as a software developer , from which he quickly advanced to business development manager at BMM . He continued his upward trajectory when he became the vice president of quality operations for BMM ’ s largest global lab based in Moncton , New Brunswick , Canada .
RYMAX NAMES CARRIE BRYAN TO HEAD KEY ACCOUNTS
Rymax , the incentive industry ’ s pioneer in loyalty marketing , has named Carrie Bryan as its new senior director of key accounts . As part of her responsibilities , she will play a critical role in nurturing and growing relationships with the company ’ s clients , driving revenue growth , and ensuring long-term success .
Based in Minneapolis , Bryan will report directly to CEO Eve Kolakowski , who owns the women ’ s business enterprise ( WBE ) company .
With a career spanning over 20 years , many of which have been dedicated to the incentive , rewards and loyalty space , Bryan is an innovative executive leader who has spearheaded some of the most successful programs in the industry . She offers deep experience in enterprise sales and channel management for Fortune 500 companies .
Bryan joins Rymax from Shutterfly , a leading e- commerce brand for personalized products and custom designs , where she served as senior director for enterprise sales . Earlier in her career , she worked at Rymax as its North Central sales manager .
GGB
AGEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 AGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Aristocrat Gaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Bluberi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 BMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Eclipse Gaming Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Everi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Fantini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Good Giant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 IGT Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 , 27 Incredible Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Konami Gaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP . . . . . . 44 Playtech Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Reed Expo ( RX ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 , 43 Rymax Marketing Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 SBC Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 SNA Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 TransAct Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Zitro International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
April 2024
Carrie Bryan
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APRIL 2024 www . ggbmagazine . com 53