Several days ago, the Irish bookmaking giant Flutter Entertainment revealed that it had decided to lay off some of its employees in Ireland and the UK after completing an internal review.
The gambling business, which currently owns and operates some of the most popular betting and gambling brands not only in Ireland and the UK, but also worldwide, such as Sky Bet, Paddy Power, and Betfair, did not unveil any more information regarding the exact number of redundancies it intended to make or which company roles would be affected.
A spokesperson for Flutter Entertainment confirmed that the gambling company expected that the majority of individuals whose jobs would be eliminated would be able to find new positions within the operator’s business. The spokesperson further noted there would only be a small number of job losses among the operator’s workers.
As announced by the Irish bookmaker’s press representative, the proposed changes reflected the next phase of Flutter Entertainment’s integration, as the company was working on the consolidation of its parallel operating models and positioning its business so that it generates further growth even in more challenging economic conditions and operating environment. The spokesperson shared that the company had sought to tackle the negative impact that the aforementioned changes would have on its workforce.
As mentioned above, the company claims that the majority of employees affected by the restructuring would be redirected into newly-created or alternative roles in the company, and the expected number of job losses was likely to be small. Flutter Entertainment’s spokesperson shared that the company was communicating with the employees affected in a consultation process and was set to provide them with the necessary support.
Conor Grant Leaves Flutter Entertainment for a “Planned Career Break”
The announcement of the planned lay-offs comes soon after the Irish bookmaker operator revealed that its chief executive officer in Ireland and the UK – Conor Grant – would part ways with the company due to a “planned career break”. Mr Grant is set to be replaced in his position by Ian Brown.
In the second half of July 2022, Flutter Entertainment officially announced that Mr Grant had resigned as chief executive officer. At the time, the company shared that he will leave the company before the end of 2022 to spend more time with his family after spending over 20 years in the online gambling industry.
Mr Grant has occupied the position of CEO of Flutter Entertainment’s business in the UK and Ireland since July 2022, after the company’s merger with The Stars Group, shortly after the Canadian gaming and online gambling operator took over Sky Betting and Gaming, where he worked at the time.
The planned restructuring of Flutter Entertainment’s operations and workforce also comes at a time when analysts have projected that the company’s business in the UK is likely to be significantly affected by the long-expected results of the UK Gambling Act’s review and the white paper that is set to be published. The white paper has been already put off a number of times, with the latest political crisis in the country once again resulting in another delay.
- Author
Olivia Cole
