Gala Coral merges online sportsbook and gaming teams
Coral Interactive MD John O'Reilly stands down as Gala Coral Group COO Andy Hornby takes reins of combined Gala and Coral Interactive divisions
Gala Coral has announced a major restructuring of its online business after deciding to merge the management teams of its Gala Interactive and Coral Interactive Gibraltar-based businesses.
The move will see Coral Interactive managing director John O’Reilly stand down from his role with Gala Coral Group chief operating officer Andy Hornby set to take charge of the combined division alongside his responsibility for Coral’s retail estate.
The decision comes after Gala Interactive managing director Per Widerstrom in September announced he was to leave the firm before the year’s end in order to take up the positions of chairman and chief executive at Central European operator Fortuna Entertainment. The restructuring is not expected to hasten Widerstrom’s departure.
According to Gala Coral, the changes mark a “new phase of development for the business” with the combined interactive division to work more closely with retail in order to perfect its multi-channel offer.
“We have seen huge progress in our online businesses over the last few years,” Carl Leaver, CEO of Gala Coral Group, said.
“Now is the right time to bring together our collective knowledge and experience to ensure that our brands continue to develop strongly, while at the same time putting multi-channel at the heart of what we do,” he added.
O’Reilly said it was a “good time” to hand over the reins and return to the UK although he is expected to stay on at the firm in a consultancy capacity for the next 12 months.
“I joined Gala Coral Group in 2011 to put Coral back on the map in the online market. Since then, with the support of a fantastic management team, we have created a valuable and fast growing business,” O’Reilly added.
A duplication of roles as a result of the combination is set to lead to further restructuring in the coming weeks, however, a spokesperson for Gala Coral said as a growing company it would redeploy staff to new roles wherever possible.
The two divisions were only formed in recent years, Gala Interactive in 2011 and Coral Interactive the following year. The firm said it remained fully committed to remaining in Gibraltar with no decision yet taken on the name of the combined entity.