Second Betclic co-founder leaves
Eric Moncada latest high-profile exit with more departures expected as operator continues to cut costs and restructure
Betclic’s sole surviving co-founder Eric Moncada has left the business just four months after his former business partner Nicholas Beraud, eGR can reveal, while up to five more executives are understood to be close to following them as its new CEO looks to cut costs and restructure the business. Six of the operator’s senior personnel have left in the last five months, five of these in the last eight weeks alone.
eGaming Review understands that Eric Moncada, Betclic co-founder and product development and innovation director and CTO Pierrick Pétain have both left the operator. Pétain has left the company after less than two years as CTO, while Moncada, group CTO until June 2010, leaves after almost six years having co-founded Betclic with Beraud in 2006, but is not thought to own a stake in the company. Neither were available for comment.
The high-profile exits come after new CEO Ignacio Martos oversaw a restructuring of the group late last year, also resulting in Betclic Expekt CEO Thomas Winter’s departure in December.
The reorganisation also saw Sajoo founder Christophe Blot leave in December “ less than two months after joining as vice president of sales and marketing for France. Under the new management structure Blot’s role was made redundant, with Marc Guigo, responsible for French-speaking markets, taking over his duties.
Following the departure of chief of regulatory and corporate affairs James Scicluna last week, a total of five executives have now left the company in the past two months, though Scicluna’s departure was not a consequence of the restructuring.
French magazine Le Point reported that the company is in the process of making more staff redundant over the coming weeks as it looks to cut costs. This may be in part due to difficult economic conditions in France, with ARJEL president Jean-François Vilotte revealing last week that sports betting experienced a 23% year-on-year fall in deposits in H2 2011. The strategy has seen the operator abandon plans to enter the newly regulated Danish market, and delay its Spanish licence application.
Last week Betclic ended its sponsorship deal with French football team Olympique Marseille, while it has been also been reported that the operator’s other high-profile sponsorship deal with French Ligue 1 team Olympique Lyonnais is also set to be terminated.
eGaming Review has also learned that the company is facing a court case in Portugal, where bwin.party was ordered to cease all marketing and advertising activities earlier this month. It is unclear whether the case relates directly to Betclic’s own advertising and marketing in Portugal, where the operator is currently shirt sponsor for 28 football clubs.