Global sports betting and gaming group Entain said today that Gavin Isaacs, former chief of US-based lottery games and betting firm Scientific Games Corp, has been appointed as its new CEO, effective September 2.

Entain owns Ladbrokes, Coral and Partypoker.

Entain said Isaacs has over 25 years of experience across the global sports betting, gaming and lottery industries, and has handled roles with companies including DraftKings, SB Tech, Bally Technologies and Aristocrat Technologies.

Issacs was a former board member at sports betting firm DraftKings, which in 2021 walked away from its $22 billion buyout bid for Entain to focus on its core US market.

In the midst of a challenging past year marked by penalty settlements for alleged bribery in its former Turkish operations and the sudden departure of Nygaard-Andersen, the company has now proceeded with a new appointment.

The company announced in April that its Chair Barry Gibson could potentially leave before September, ending his over four-year tenure, if a CEO was appointed sooner, leaving interim CEO Stella David to succeed.

Entain’s former CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen resigned in December 2023, following reports that certain shareholders were unhappy with her leadership.

In April, the group reported a smaller-than-expected fall in online gaming revenue for the first quarter, as an increase in active customers helped it offset stiff competition and regulatory pressures in its main markets.

Gambling firms, which gained from a rise in online betting during the pandemic, are dealing with stiffer regulations and a cost-of-living crisis.