SBTech appoints Gavin Isaacs as chairman

Betting and gaming service provider SBTech has appointed former Scientific Games chief executive Gavin Isaacs as its new non-executive chairman.

Isaacs has been brought in to speed up SBTech’s growth in the US sports betting market, leveraging more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.

He joins having spent the past four years at Scientific Games, joining as the supplier’s chief executive, then serving as deputy chairman. As CEO he oversaw a major acquisition spree, which saw the company’s annual revenue more than double to $2.9bn in two years.

He previously held executive roles for a number of major operators and suppliers, spending seven years in a variety of roles with Arisotcrat Technologies, rising to become the company’s president. He also served as as chief operating officer and executive vice president of Bally Entertainment, then CEO of SHFL Entertainment.

Having left Scientific Games last month, Isaacs said he had been approached by a number of companies. He ultimately chose to take up the SBTech role, he said, due to the company’s superior technology, entrepreneurial approach and scope for growth across a range of regulated markets.
 
“The business has already made significant in-roads into the newly regulated US sports betting market and I am extremely excited to be able to help and advise the senior management team to expand that even further across 2019 and beyond,” Isaacs added.
 
SBTech chief executive Richard Carter added that he was “thrilled” to have an executive of Isaacs’ calibre, credibility and experience join the company.

“This is a huge coup for the business,” Carter said. “Gavin’s two decades of successfully leading, transforming, and acquiring some of the biggest businesses in the gaming sector will be a massive advantage for us, particularly in the US where we have already partnered and gone live with several large brands across multiple states and where there are many more opportunities to grow.”