People news 30 May 2013

Tony Hawks to host eGR B2B and Innovation Awards

Comedian and author to host ceremony at Tower of London next month

Comedian and author Tony Hawks has been announced as the host of the fourth annual eGaming Review B2B Awards and the inaugural Operator Innovation Awards.

Hawks, who has appeared on television shows such as Have I Got News for You and They Think It’s All Over, also wrote the bestselling book Round Ireland with a Fridge.

The book, in which the comedian hitch-hiked around the Irish coast with a fridge, was adapted into a film starring Hawks alongside Ed Byrne and Josie Lawrence.

He will host the ceremonies on 6 June at the Pavilion at the Tower of London, which will be attended by more than 500 industry professionals.

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Cantor accuses William Hill of poaching US clients

Cantor Gaming has accused William Hill of poaching clients and stealing “trade secrets” following the UK operator’s acquisition of Brandywine Bookmaking in 2011 and the appointment of its former managing director Joe Asher.

The case filed in Clark County District Court earlier this month saw Cantor accuse William Hill of benefiting from Asher’s “usurpation of business ideas and opportunities” that belonged to the mobile gaming supplier. Cantor filed a case against former Cantor MD Asher in February 2011 claiming he had deliberately poached potential clients, with Asher then retaliating with a counter claim of his own.

Cantor has asked for unspecified damages to compensate for the alleged theft of such intellectual property by both Asher and William Hill. The company runs several sports books in Las Vegas in venues including The Venetian and The Cosmopolitan.

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Seven days in people news:

Sportingbet Australia marketing exec made redundant

Richard Howarth, marketing and sales director with Sportingbet Australia, has been made redundant following the acquisition of the business by William Hill.

According to Australian media site mUmBRELLA, Howarth will also leave the board of the company, having overseen the integration of the Centrebet brand after it was acquired by Sportingbet in May 2011.

William Hill took over Sportingbet’s Australian business following the completion of a joint takeover with GVC holdings earlier this year. GVC has assumed responsibility for the operator’s Danish business as well as its operations in a number of unregulated markets.

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Former Aristocrat CTO joins GameAccount

GameAccount Network has appointed Julius Patta, the former CTO of its US partner Aristocrat, as president of its North American business.

Patta, who has been tasked with developing “comprehensive support infrastructure” for the group’s partners and customers in the region, will join GameAccount in July subject to standard checks and approvals.

He will be based in the United States, working on the day-to-day management of its partnerships with Aristocrat and Foxwoods, with GameAccount’s core research and development projects taking place in its head office in London.

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New Jersey appoints Galea to aid egaming launch

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has hired former Maltese Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) CEO Mario Galea as a consultant to help push through the state’s online gambling launch.

Draft legislation was made available on the New Jersey legislative website earlier this month, with the bill to be officially published on 2 June at the start of a 60-day public comment period. Once this consultation period finishes the DGE will review and respond to all comments, before passing the bill into force.

At the time DGE director Dave Rebuck said the regulator was looking to hire a consultant, saying it needed “additional technical resources and expertise”. At a conference this month he revealed that Galea had been selected from a shortlist of seven candidates, and would begin work immediately.

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