Industry News
LeoVegas Appoints Chairman Mårten Forste as New COO in Malta

LeoVegas has appointed Mårten Forste, Chairman of the Board, as its new Chief Operating Officer to oversee the company’s Maltese operations. The company’s current COO in Malta, Richard Woodbridge, has accepted an offer in another industry and will leave LeoVegas in May.
Forste will assume his new role on February 3. He will continue in his role as Chairman until the Annual General Meeting in May 2020, where a new chairman will be proposed by the Nomination Committee.
Forste is currently the Chairman of LeoVegas and worked prior to this at Match Group. He has 12 years of experience from the gaming industry, where he successfully worked in various operational roles. Including these roles, Forste has a total of some 20 years of experience with fast-growing technology companies.
“After having served on the Board since 2012, I am proud to join LeoVegas’ operations team. The gaming market is dynamic, and I am convinced that we are in the best possible place to further strengthen our position as market leader in the casino segment. I look forward to working further on the course charted by the management team, creating shareholder value and continuing to take market shares by delivering a safe, sustainable and entertaining customer experience,” Mårten Forste said.
“It is truly unfortunate to lose such an ambitious and talented person as Richard Woodbridge. He is highly appreciated in the company, and I wish him success in the future. Mårten is the perfect successor, as he has been with LeoVegas from the start and is a strong contributing force behind our strategy and operations. He has good knowledge about all parts of LeoVegas and our culture, and he knows what we need to do to further develop the company and be ‘King of Casino’. His experience clearly makes him the right person to further build upon what Richard has started,” Gustaf Hagman, Group CEO, said.
Carlo Santarelli
Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. Names Carlo Santarelli Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations

Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. announced that Carlo Santarelli has been appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations, a new position at the Company. Mr. Santarelli will begin his new position on August 18, 2025 and will report to GLPI President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Moore.
Mr. Santarelli brings over 25 years of Wall Street experience in Equity Research and Investment Banking to his new role and joins the Company from Deutsche Bank where he was Managing Director of Gaming & Lodging Equity Research. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Mr. Santarelli held similar positions at Bear Stearns, JP Morgan and Wells Fargo. He consistently ranked highly in Institutional Investor and other sell-side analyst research polls as a thought leader in the space, providing unique perspectives on industry events and trends with his data-driven approach and stock picking talent. Carlo Santarelli graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Economics in 2000.
Peter Carlino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GLPI, said: “We’ve known and respected Carlo’s research work on the gaming, lodging and gaming REIT sectors for many years. Carlo brings to GLPI an in-depth knowledge of the industry and its participants, having experienced GLPI’s original formation of the gaming triple-net-REIT structure from a research analyst and capital markets perspective. We value his deep network of contacts among institutional investors, sell-side analysts and a wide range of gaming industry operators and we look forward to the value of his contributions.”
In his new role, Mr. Santarelli will work with Mr. Carlino and GLPI’s senior management to develop and evaluate growth opportunities and strategic relationships, and will oversee investor relations interactions.
The post Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. Names Carlo Santarelli Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Industry News
VIP Play Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer

VIP Play, a technology-driven leader in interactive consumer engagement, announced that Jim Mackey, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, will step down from his role, effective August 8, 2025.
The Company has initiated a transition process and is in the process of identifying a successor. Mackey will assist in an orderly transition over the coming weeks.
“We thank Jim for his contributions to the Company, particularly during a transformative period for our business. We remain focused on executing our strategic priorities, including financial visibility, operating efficiency, and delivering value to our stakeholders,” said Les Ottolenghi, CEO of VIP Play.
The post VIP Play Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
DotCom Ventures
IBN Initiates Coverage of SEGG Media Corporation

SEGG Media Corporation, a leading technology company transforming the global intersection of sports, entertainment, and gaming, has selected IBN, a multifaceted financial news and publishing company serving private and public entities, to spearhead its corporate communications efforts.
SEGG Media aims to deliver immersive, real-time experiences through next-generation technology that redefines how audiences interact with their favorite content and communities. Following a full-scale corporate transformation and rebrand, the company now operates across three high-growth verticals: Sports.com, Entertainment, and Lottery.com.
Sports.com serves as a global hub for sports content with a focus on soccer, sim racing, motorsports, and athlete-led media, with the upcoming Sports.com Super App poised to evolve fan engagement by integrating streaming, e-commerce, fantasy gaming, and sports news. The Entertainment division builds on AI-powered live events and direct-to-fan platforms, while Lottery.com delivers compliant, ethical gaming solutions including iGaming and charitable lottery access to global audiences.
With a $100 million financing facility and strategic acquisitions underway, including proposed deals with GXR World and DotCom Ventures, SEGG Media is executing a multi-vertical expansion strategy designed to unify fragmented fan experiences across live content, gaming, and digital commerce.
As part of the client-partner relationship, IBN will leverage its investor-focused distribution network, which includes over 5000 key syndication outlets, various newsletters, social media channels, and wire services via InvestorWire, along with blogs and other outreach tools, to generate greater awareness for SEGG Media.
The post IBN Initiates Coverage of SEGG Media Corporation appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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