Playtech hires John Gleasure from DAZN as Chair

John Gleasure has been appointed to Playtech’s Board, having been scheduled to  succeed Brian Mattingley as non-executive Chairman in May.

Currently a Non-executive Director at DAZN Group, Gleasure brings 30 years of experience across the sports, media and technology industry, in addition to relevant Board experience from several of international companies.

He joins Playtech at a transformational time for the company, which recently completed the sale of its Italian brand, Snaitech, to global betting giant Flutter Entertainment. This sale came after extensive acquisition interest in Playtech from different stakeholders during the early 2020s.

“I am delighted to be joining Playtech at such a pivotal moment in its history,” Gleasure said.

“Playtech is a unique and highly innovative business, underpinned by market-leading technology and relationships with the world’s leading gambling operators. 

“I’m excited about the opportunities ahead, and I look forward to working with everyone at Playtech to drive forward its strategy and create further value for our shareholders.”

Gleasure now joins the FTSE250 technology group while also continuing his role as a non-executive Director (and previously Executive Chairman) at The Sporting News, a global digital publisher. 

He is also  a founder of Perform, a digital sports media business, and has also previously held leadership roles at Sky Sports, Hutchison 3G and Sony Pictures.

“We are very pleased to welcome John to our Board as a new Non-executive Director and Chairman Elect,” added Mattingley on the changes. 

“John’s significant experience and knowledge will be a tremendous asset for Playtech as it continues its transformation into a predominantly pure-play B2B business. I look forward to giving him every support during this period of transition.”

The company also detailed that Gleasure will receive an annual fee of £140,000 in his new role, which the company states will be boosted when he becomes Chairman.

The news comes shortly after Playtech reported that it had achieved “elevated targets” of a transformative 2024, as the firm returns to a pure-play B2B identity.

Full-year 2024 trading featuring the B2C activities of Snaitech, saw Playtech achieve corporate revenues of €1,791.5m, up 5% on FY2023 results of €1,706m.

Despite year trading being disrupted by the €2.4bn sale of Snaitech to Flutter, Playtech achieved ‘excellent operating results’ generating an FY2024 adjusted EBITDA of €480m (FY2023: €432m) – above raised expectations detailed to market.

The company has also been the subject of extensive acquisition interest in recent years, having been targeted in 2022 by Australia’s Aristocrat and a consortium involving the late F1 team owner Eddie Jordan.