Game Play Network (GPN), which works with casinos, sportsbooks, DFS and other gaming companies to expand their B2C real money online offerings in the United States, on Tuesday said it has appointed Ian Smith as the company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
In this new role, Smith reportedly will drive product expansion, technological innovation and platform scalability to support GPN’s integration of its patented reveal technology within its B2B customer network.
Smith joins GPN from previous stints with global gaming companies, such as Rank Interactive, Flutter Entertainment and William Hill, where he served as CTO, Director of Technology Strategy and Global Director, respectively.
During his tenure at Flutter, Smith was responsible for the technology strategy of the International division, which included such brands as PokerStars, Betfair International and AdjaraBet. In this position, he was credited with driving major technical change across the division.
Among his other career highlights, Smith points to what he described as enterprise-level transformation at Rank Interactive, where he was responsible for building in-house development teams from the ground up and introducing a consistently agile way of working across the whole platform and organization. In addition, he led William Hill’s US platform ambitions following the repeal of PASPA.
“We are excited to welcome Ian to the GPN team,” Russell Fine, President of GPN, said in a statement. “He is an experienced iGaming innovator who is perfectly positioned to take GPN’s iGaming platform into its next stage of commercialization. Ian’s leadership will accelerate growth, expand the company’s footprint and create exciting new player experiences.”
Added Smith: “I have been working in iGaming since its inception, and I am truly energized by GPN’s unprecedented approach to revolutionizing the space. GPN is ready for its next ambitious stage, and I am eager to leverage my more than 20 years of gaming experience to ensure that we achieve and exceed GPN’s goals.”
