As the calendar turns to a new month, North American gaming companies are taking significant steps to enhance their leadership teams.
Betr, which recently expanded into the prediction market, has announced key promotions as part of its growth strategy. On Thursday, the company elevated Alex Ursa to the position of chief operating officer. Ursa previously served as Betr’s head of gaming since 2022, being the first employee hired by the company. His professional background includes various roles at Flutter, where he was senior product director at FanDuel and product manager for the Paddy Power brand.
Alex Kuwada also received a promotion, now stepping in as chief marketing officer. He will oversee Betr’s acquisition and retention efforts, moving up from his previous role as head of marketing, a position he has held since joining Betr in 2024. Kuwada has extensive experience from his five years at FanDuel, where he served in several capacities, including senior director of acquisition and growth director.
Additionally, Betr has promoted Mike Denevi to chief commercial officer. Denevi, the second employee to join Betr, was elevated from his previous role as head of media, having spent nearly a decade at Bleacher Report before coming to Betr in 2022.
In other leadership news, Daniel O’Donoghue has accepted the role of chief operating officer at Aristocrat Interactive, announced Wednesday. O’Donoghue expressed enthusiasm about joining the team and contributing to the company’s growth and innovative online gaming products in a LinkedIn post. His background includes nearly five years as iGaming COO at Light & Wonder, and he has also held consulting positions at Alvarez & Marsal and Accenture.
O’Donoghue will work alongside Aristocrat Interactive CEO Dylan Slaney, who also has a history with Light & Wonder, having joined in September 2025 to spearhead the online casino business.
Aristocrat Interactive, established in 2024, incorporates the Anaxi and NeoGames brands into a single operational framework.
Additionally, B2B sportsbook technology provider FIRST.bet has appointed Ian Bradley as co-CEO, joining Tom Light to direct the firm’s strategy. Bradley highlighted FIRST.bet’s impressive team and technology in a statement, expressing excitement about furthering the company’s successes. Before joining FIRST.bet, Bradley served as senior vice president and managing director of B2B at DraftKings, having entered DraftKings through its merger with SBTech in 2020. His career also includes nearly ten years with Sporting Solutions.
