The online gambling giant888 Holdings is close to announcing the appointment of an ex-lobbyist, who used to play an important part in the Former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s ascending to power, at the position of the group’s chairman.
As revealed by Sky News on September 23rd, 888 Holdings was to officially name Lord Jonathan Mendelsohn, who has been working for clients in the gambling industry for years, as a non-executive director of the group in a special announcement to the London Stock Exchange. Later, the gambling giant confirmed that Lord Mendelsohn is replacing Brian Mattingley at the chairman’s position, as the latter’s tenure at the company is coming to an end.
As unveiled by 888 Holdings, the appointment of Lord Mendelsohn is set to take place during the next annual general meeting of the gambling group that is scheduled to be held in May 2021. The appointment has already been confirmed by the company by notifying the London Stock Exchange.
The appointment will turn Lord Mendelsohn into the second individual, who has been having a close relationship with the Labour Party, to take over a major role in the country’s gambling sector in a few days. Less than a week ago, the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson, was appointed as an adviser to the gambling giant Flutter Entertainment.
New Chairman of 888 Holdings to Stick to the Gambling Company’s Growth Objectives
The appointment of Lord Mendelsohn at the chairman’s position at the Gibraltar-based 888 Holdings is set to happen amid the UK Government’s intention to impose further restrictions on the gambling industry of the country.
For the time being, 888 Holdings operates a number of websites such as 888 Poker and 888 Casino, as well as several bingo brands, including Tasty Bingo and Posh Bingo. After the confirmation of him taking over the chairman’s position, Lord Mendelsohn said that he had long admired the Gibraltar-based gambling operator during his extensive experience working with companies in the gaming and gambling sector. He praised the group for having a variety of exciting opportunities ahead of itself and said he was looking forward to working closely with the operator’s board and management team and keep up with the delivery of the operator’s growth strategy.
In a filing to the London Stock Exchange, Brian Mattingley confirmed that he is set to end his 15-year tenure as a director of the 888 Holdings, after he managed to re-established the online gambling company as a blue-chip enterprise at the FTSE. Soon, Mr. Mattingley’s place is to be occupied by Lord Mendelsohn, who also has extensive experience in gaming and gambling. He was one of the co-founders of the corporate finance company Oakvale Capital, which specialised in gambling, gaming and sports. The company has been popular for working as an adviser to various gambling firms, including BetVictor, The Stars Group and Penn Gaming.
- Author
Olivia Cole
