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Scandinavian online gambling giants Betsson have confirmed that Jesper Svensson has taken on the permanent position of chief executive of its operational subsidiaries, based in Malta. The move comes after Svensson took on the role on an interim basis in September, following a reshuffle of the senior management team at the firm.
Svensson first joined the company in 2013 and has subsequently held roles as managing director of Betsson.com and, most recently, chief commercial officer. His role will now see him look at ways to better leverage Betsson’s multi-brand model (made up of 20 brands, including Betsafe and NordicBet) and single platform.
The company produced an 11% growth in revenue in Q3 2017, although chief executive Pontus Lindwall previously admitted he was “not satisfied” despite the company posting record revenue and profit figures. Betsson – whose roots date back to 1963 – currently headquartered in Malta, with a staff of 1,900 people in 12 locations.
Regarding the appointment of Jesper Svensson, Lindwall said: “Jesper has extensive experience from the gaming industry and the passion and skills needed to lead Betsson’s gaming operations. I look forward to working Jesper and the team.”
Emerging Markets Await for Svensson and Betsson
Included under Svensson’s command at Betsson will be Betsafe, one of the company’s flagship brands – having been acquired in 2011. Indeed, Betsafe, which offers online casino, poker and sports products to players, has over 450,000 customers and recently made moves into the Canadian market – an emerging market for many of the biggest players in the iGaming industry. The hope for Svensson’s team is that they establish themselves in North America with Betsafe, following the significant inroads they have already made in Eastern and Central Europe – a significant part of the entire group’s global expansion plans.
The Betsson Group also recently announced plans to move into the heavily regulated Spanish market by teaming up with BetConstruct to launch a new sportsbook property, which will offer punters in Spain both pre-match and live betting options across a number of sports markets.
So it seems Svensson will have plenty to keep him busy in the coming months, as the company surges into emerging markets, with the newly-appointed chief executive officer of operational subsidies stating: “The team and I have many opportunities and also challenges ahead.”
Betsson Building Their Malta Base
Despite recent rumours to the contrary, Betsson also recently insisted that not only are they set on staying in Malta, but they are increasing their office space on the European island – confirming the news with the country’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat. The company now have over 1,000 employees on Malta and recently opened a top-of-the-range office there known as ‘Betsson E2 Hub’.
Malta is a technology hub for the iGaming industry, with many of the world’s largest companies operating out of the picturesque Mediterranean island.
