Marcel Elfersy to Become GiG’s New COO

December has proven to be a busy period for recruitment. After yesterday’s news that ex-Ladbrokes financial controller Amanda Bird became the new Chief Financial Officer for Future Anthem, today we heard that a new appointment has also taken place at Gaming Innovation Group (GiG). Betting industry expert Marcel Elfersy will be joining the company after spending almost 13 years with 888, and rising through the ranks to become their Vice President of Business Development. He then had a short spell as OXTech Group’s Chief Executive, before trying his hand at being the Impala Digital CEO for about a year. He also worked in a number of other large companies and organisations, including T-Mobile UK, JPMorgan Chase, Century Links, and even the US Department of Commerce.

Elfersy is said to have been put in charge of GiG’s platform and sports betting / sportsbook side of business, and his responsibilities will include developing and enhancing the operations of the commercial and sales teams in order to reach more markets and jurisdictions across the world. It is clear that GiG is ambitions about expansion and focused on utilising best practices across the sports betting industry, and the recruitment of Elfersy clearly reflects this as he is known as a talented business development expert across the gambling industry.

Elfersy’s career was shaped to a large extent by his work with 888, one of the world’s leading sports betting sites. He was certainly a heavy loss for 888sport, which features in our best betting sites for December 2022 list with their outstanding “Bet £10 get £30” introductory offer.

GiG will be a slightly different gig for Elfersy, as the company focuses on software development and innovation which it then provides to bookmakers to allow them to start, improve, or expand their businesses. Founded in 2008 and still based in Malta, the company has over 600 employees and boasts a revenue of over €44 million. It provides a large number of services, including a fully customisable betting and iGaming platform, a separate sports betting solution, the opportunity for companies to outsource their operations to them and utilise its managed services, and intelligent data science and analysis in order to help companies grow and develop through better customer understanding and interaction. Further to this, GiG’s services help gambling and sports betting sites to ensure they are fully compliant with all business regulations and laws.

GiG is also an expert in user experience. It offers a bespoke omnichannel business model solution which helps betting platforms provide seamless and consistent customer experience across all their platforms, including mobile, browser-based, and even when it comes to physical betting. This is complemented by its frontend solution, which provides a user-friendly, modern, easy to use look to its software and systems in order to facilitate use and improve bettors’ experience.

The professionalism, innovation, and creativity of GiG have not remained on noticed, with the company having won some prestigious awards. Most recently, in 2022, the company won Best Casino Affiliate, and previously it has been named winners of Full-service platform (2021), Winner of Multi-channel provider (2020), and NASDAQ ESG Transparency Partner (2021). Less than 2 weeks ago, GiG signed a new partnership with News Corp UK & Ireland Limited. As a commercial partner of News UK, GiG will deliver exclusive UK sports betting offers, deals, and casino content to millions of readers of The Sun and talkSPORT.

In a statement following the news of his appointment, Elfersy said:

“I’m super-excited to be joining Richard and the all-star team at GiG to help drive and accelerate growth across the global igaming and sports betting space.”

He also complimented GiG on its “impressive” development and strategic growth, and mentioned its full stack of reputable products and services, its market agility, and one of the prides of its portfolio – their unrivalled omnichannel solution for regulated markets.

In response, GiG CEO Richard Brown stated:

“[…] the appointment of someone of Marcel’s’ calibre and experience is a significant step forward for leveraging our full potential, as we enter 2023 with real excitement.”

Brown pointed out that the company has been continually improving throughout 2022 and is now in a strong position to expand across the iGaming and sports betting industry in different countries and markets.

GiG’s services are already known in the UK sports betting market, and are strong favourites with customers due to features such as real-time odds and events, excellent bonus offers for new and existing customers, and a variety of cash-out options. With Marcel Elfersy at the helm, there is no doubt that the company will continue to expand in the UK and abroad throughout the new 2023.