DAZN Bet names Shane McLaughlin as managing director for UK and Ontario
DAZN continue to raid Entain for new hires at its betting venture.
UK.- The sports streaming provider DAZN has named new executive hires for its recently announced betting venture DAZN Bet. And again, they come from Entain, where DAZN CEO Shay Segev spent a six-month stint as CEO before joining the company.
DAZN Bet has named Entain’s director of digital development Shane McLaughlin as managing director for the UK and Ontario. He joins the new enterprise after nearly 13 years at Entain (and its predecessors), during which he worked in six roles. McLaughlin was managing director of Betdaq between January 2015 and November 2021 and commercial manager at BoyleSports between 2007 and 2009.
It’s also named Simon Gatenby as chief marketing officer. He’s worked at Entain since 2018, as chief technology officer for data and CRM at Ladbrokes Coral Group and more recently performance marketing and marketing technology director.
McLaughlin wrote on LinkedIn: “I’m delighted to share that I will be joining DAZN Bet as Managing Director for UK & Ontario. I’m massively excited to be teaming up again with some exceptional former colleagues for the launch of this new venture.
“It’s been an incredible 13-year journey through Betdaq, Ladbrokes Coral, and GVC/Entain and I am hugely grateful to some amazing colleagues and mentors who have supported me through this time. I wish everyone at Entain the very best for the future.
“For now I’m on gardening leave and will be spending some quality time with the family and recharging for the adventures ahead. Take care and I hope to see many of you soon.”
Gatenby wrote on the same platform: “I’m delighted to share that I’m joining DAZN Bet as CMO. An amazing opportunity to lead the Marketing Mission for this new venture, and a chance to work with some amazing talent.
“For now I’m on gardening leave and will be spending some quality time with my family. Or bike. I’ve had an amazing time at Entain – where I’ve learned loads. I wish them the very best for the future.”
They follow former Entain staff Ian Turnbull and Sandeep Tiku who joined DAZN as VP of betting and chief technological officer respectively. Leading DAZN Bet as CEO is former BoyleSports CEO Mark Kemp.
DAZN has partnered with betting and gaming supplier Pragmatic Group to launch the betting brand, which will see a soft launch in August in time for the start of the European football season.
Headquartered in Gibraltar, the new business intends to operate “in multiple regulated territories”. Pragmatic will provide the platform in an exclusive multi-year deal. DAZN said the new brand would offer “a fun, convenient, and integrated experience for casual bettors to enjoy alongside DAZN’s live sports streaming”.
