Operator 888 Holdings has appointed Ben Hurst as its new VP of North American Market Expansion.
888 owns brands including William Hill, Mr Green and 888 itself, as well as the SI sportsbook and SI casino brands, as part of a US partnership with Authentic Brands Group.
Hurst has recently been working as an independent consultant – including for 888 during the last year – and previously served as SVP and Head of Digital at Madison Square Garden Sports & Entertainment, where he oversaw all digital initiatives for MSG's portfolio of brands/properties, including the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, MSG, Radio City, The Beacon Theatre and other venues.
Prior to this, he served as SVP, Mobile/Emerging Platforms and Digital Partnerships at Paramount, managing the digital/mobile division for Comedy Central, MTV, CMT, TV Land, VH1, Paramount Network and Logo.
In his new role, Hurst will be a member of the North American management team, creating and implementing strategies to increase 888’s presence in the region, with the US and Canada being two of the group’s target growth markets.
Howard Mittman, President 888 US, commented: “I am delighted that Ben will be joining our US team as VP. Having worked with him over the last year or so as a consultant, I have full confidence that his knowledge of the industry, and of our company, makes him the perfect leader to help continue to grow our US business for the future.
“Ben has an exceptional track record at some world-class media brands and will bring a huge amount of knowledge of the US digital, sports and entertainment landscape. We very much look forward to working with him.”
