Intralot hires Villarejo to drive US sports betting growth

Intralot Group has named Fernando Ors Villarejo as the new president of sports betting at its Intralot Inc US subsidiary, as the company seeks to capitalise on opportunities in the country’s expanding market.

Villarejo joins the company with over 20 years’ of experience working in international development and for digital businesses, serving as chief development officer and interactive chief executive for Spain's Grupo Codere, as well as working for fast moving consumer goods businesses Carrefour and Bernardo Alfageme. He is aso the founder of Savia Consulting, through which he has worked for clients including DoubleDown Interactive, and advising telecommunications giant Telefónica on a sports betting strategy.

Intralot Group CEO Antonios Kerastaris said Villarejo will be the company’s key representative for opening up new opportunities in the US legal sports betting market.

“Sports betting in the US in the post-PASPA era is a major source of potential future revenue and profits for Intralot and we intend to dedicate considerable amount of effort and resources to turn this opportunity into a great success for our company,” Kerastaris explained.

Intralot is one of several companies making headway in the US following the Supreme Court ruling on PASPA earlier this year, which has allowed states all across the country to begin legalising sports betting.

Last month, Intralot signed a two-year extension to its deal with the New Mexico Lottery, under which it will support the organisation with its launch of the first sports lottery game of its kind in the US.

The Sports Lottery parlay game will be available throughout the New Mexico Lottery retail network, which comprises approximately 1,100 terminals across the state. Players can make their selections from various sporting events, placing them together in a single parlay bet.

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