Gavin Issacs has been named the new CEO of Entain, replacing Stella David

BetMGM and Entain have a 50/50 joint venture in the sports betting market. On Monday, Entertain announced they are replacing interim CEO Stella David with a full-time candidate. Gavin Issacs is the new CEO of Entain. Once Issacs takes over, Mrs. David will replace Barry Gibson as the board chair on September 30. When Issacs was announced as the new CEO, Entain’s stock rose 1.8%. BetMGM is eager to see how Gavin Issacs can help the industry operator grow.

What kind of background does Gavin Issacs have in the gaming industry?

Hiring Gavin Issacs as their new CEO was quite the hire by Entain. The American Gaming Association Hall of Famer first started his gaming career in 1998. Issacs was hired to be the president of Aristocrat. Additionally, Issacs worked six years with Bally’s as their COO and eventually worked as the CEO for SHFL Entertainment when the company was bought by Bally’s. On top of that, Issacs worked briefly for MacAndres and Forbes. A holding company that owned nearly 40% of scientific games when he joined in January 2014. That June, Issacs was promoted to the president and CEO of Scientific Games. His first experience with US sports betting came with these scientific games. At every stop in his career, Issacs has learned something new and has taken that knowledge with him. 

In April 2020, Issacs took a spot on the DraftKings board. Issacs also began his role on the advisor board for Jackpocket in 2019. Earlier this year, DraftKings announced their $750 million purchase of Jackpocket. Before taking the position with Entain, Issacs served as a chairman for Games Global. There’s no doubt that Gavin Issacs has the experience to help Entain and BetMGM grow. Interim CEO Stella David admitted that Entain did not supply BetMGM with US-focused products quickly enough. That led to their lower market share. However, she is optimistic about what Gavin Issacs can do for Entain. He has vast knowledge and experience in the US betting market. Something Entain and BetMGM could use a hand with.