CEOs of the Gambling World – 9 of the Biggest Names You Should Be Aware Of

It’s no secret that the gambling business is a multi-billion-dollar industry in many parts of the world. Many places do not allow any kind of gambling activities, but most countries around the world have changed their laws in the last couple of years. Consequently, the industry is more advanced than ever before and has loads of big players in it.

Speaking of big players. Nostrabet.com will try to show you some of the biggest names in it. We are about to learn more about the big CEOs behind some of our favorite companies and discover what makes them stand out. It’s an interesting topic that many of you are not familiar with, so let’s dive in.

Denise and John Coates – Co-Founders of Bet365

Everyone with some online gambling experience is aware that Bet365 is one of the biggest names in the industry. The company started its existence in the year 2000 under the leadership of Denise Coates, after having worked in the family’s betting shops.

• It appears that she was among the first to recognize the potential of online betting, which is why she borrowed nearly £15M from the Royal Bank of Scotland to launch this venture.
• In 2005, the betting shop company belonging to Denise’s family was sold to Coral for close to £40m. This allowed bet365’s founders to replay the load.

Denise Coates was born in 1967 and continues to be a majority shareholder of bet365 even today. An interesting fact about her is that she was among the highest-paid executives in the UK for several consecutive years.

In terms of John Coates, he is Denise’s younger brother and the joint chief executive of bet365. An intriguing fact about him is that he has a law degree from the University of Bristol. He even practiced as a lawyer prior to joining the business.

Peter Jackson – CEO of Flutter Entertainment

There are a few major players in the world of online betting, and Flutter Entertainment is among them. The company’s CEO is Peter Jackson, and he was born in 1975 in England. He has been in this position since early 2018, and before joining Flutter, he worked for brands like Worldplay Group, Travelex, Lloyds Banking Group, and so on.

• After becoming the main driving force at Flutter, the company began a massive global expansion and multi-brand diversification. Currently, Flutter Entertainment has a strong presence in the USA, as it is behind names like FanDuel, one of the largest sports betting platforms in the country.
• After joining the business, there was a merger between Betfair and Paddy Power, which was when it was rebranded into Flutter Entertainment. Following that, the company also acquired The Stars Group in 2019 (PokerStars). This made Flutter one of the largest gambling operators all over the world.

Overall, Jackson’s leadership appears to be steering Flutter more towards the American market. He has a solid financial background that positions him well to lead a digital-first gambling group operating worldwide.

Per Widerström – CEO of Evoke plc

Per Widerström is another big name in the world of online gambling that some of you may be familiar with. He became the CEO of Evoke plc, which was formerly known as 888 Holdings plc, in 2023.

• Before being in this position, Per Widerström was the CEO of Fortuna Entertainment Group and had other key roles in companies like Digital Entertainment and Gala Interactive. Prior to joining the online gambling industry, he worked for Andersen Consulting, Protect & Gamble, Telenor Mobile Sweden, and other brands.
• After joining Evoke, Per improved the operational efficiency and repositioned the company. It all started with changing the name from 888 Holdings to Evoke plc because this signalled that it would be a multi-brand operator. Nowadays, the brand focuses on many countries but pays special attention to the UK, Romania, Denmark, Spain and Italy. In fact, many sources claim these places are responsible for close to 90% of the revenue.

As for the company’s statistics, the 2024 preliminary results showed revenue of nearly £1.4 billion and losses of around £150 million for the same period. The Q3 statistics for 2024 have revealed that growth was 3% year-over-year, primarily driven by online business expansion.

Nils Andén – CEO of Kindred Group

Nils Andén is a Swedish business executive who has specialized in the online betting industry. He began his career in digital marketing, working for brands such as GVC Group, where he served as Director of Digital Marketing.

• Based on our research, Andén’s connection to Kindred Group dates all the way back to 2006, when he was the Head of Poker. After leaving the company, he came back in 2020 and became the Chief Commercial Officer for several regions – Scandinavia, South & East Europe and North America.
• As of May 17, 2023, Kindred’s Board named him the Interim CEO and then the permanent CEO in February of 2024.
• After taking this role, he focused on the regulated markets and continued to invest in digital marketing and product development. Nowadays, the company has several brands under its belt, including Unibet and 32Red.

Pontus Lindwall – CEO of Betsson AB

The next name on the list is Pontus Lindwall, the CEO of Betsson AB. Unlike some of the other CEOs mentioned so far, Lindwall has been a part of this company since 1991. Born in 1965, he has a degree in Science and Engineering. Prior to being a CEO, he was a board member of NetEnt.

• Aside from that, he was the CEO of Cherry and the President & CEO of the Betsson Group between 1908 and 2011. After stepping down, he served as Chairman and a board member, and then returned to the role of CEO in 2017.
• Following his leadership, Betsson has established itself as one of the leading multi-brand online businesses across several regulated markets. The statistics support this, as the Q3 report for 2025 reveals an impressive 27.3% increase in end-user revenue in Western Europe. Currently, the company operates more than 20 different brands, including the likes of Betsafe, Betsson and NordicBet.

Considering Lindwall’s experience and commitment, many people within the iGaming industry describe him as the “iGaming icon”. The veteran is among the most experienced CEOs in modern online gambling.

Stephen Fisk – CEO of Microgaming

All the CEOs mentioned so far are associated with various online gambling operators. However, this does not mean there are no CEOs operating in other departments, such as the online casino software. This is exactly why Stephen Fisk, the CEO of Microgaming, is the next name on our list.

• Stephen Fisk became Microgaming’s CEO in 2023 after joining the company in 2016. Back then, he was the Director of Sportsbook and was responsible for the development and growth of the sports-betting offerings.
• Fisk has an interesting career that spans more than 24 years in the gambling industry. Aside from working for Microgaming, he was Fisk’s COO.
• After taking the CEO role at Microgaming, he said that the brand will try to focus on being a full-platform provider. MG has been focusing on exclusive partnerships, platform systems, licensing and regulatory compliance services.

Everyone with some iGaming experience knows that Microgaming is one of the pioneers. In fact, people believe it is the first real-money online casino software company. With this CEO under their belt, MG has a bright future ahead of it.

Ed Craven & Bijan Tehrani – Co-Founders and Leaders of Stake.com

There have been a few disruptions in the online betting industry in the last couple of years, but Stake.com’s arrival is probably the biggest one yet. The cryptocurrency gambling site has become one of the leaders in this segment, and Ed Craven is one of the main driving forces behind it. The 29-year-old Australian billionaire is the co-founder and Stake, as well as Kick, one of the hottest live-streaming platforms.

• Craven and Tehrani founded Stake in 2017 and positioned the brand as a crypto-based online casino and sports betting platform. Offering provably fair games, quick transactions, and global reach, the company became one of the biggest names in the industry.
• Thanks to Craven’s leadership, Stake has become much more than just another iGaming site. The brand has tons of sports and celebrity endorsements and has grown rapidly in the last couple of years. In 2022, for example, the GGR shows close to $2.6B, a jaw-dropping number.
• Considering his success, it’s no surprise that Cravern is one of Australia’s richest people and a self-made billionaire. Stake is so popular that some sources claim the site itself was responsible for almost 4% of all Bitcoin transactions.

As for Bijan Tehrani, he took part in different businesses even before Stake. He is the co-founder of Easygo, a company that developed online casino games. This business was very successful on its own, but Stake.com is what truly put Tehrani on the map.

Some sources claim that the young entrepreneur’s net worth is close to $2.8B. Aside from stake, he has a key role in Kick, which launched in 2012. The live streaming company remains the only real competitor to Twitch.