Published on 31st March 2016 by Becky Mosley

According to GVC Holdings’ new product chief Liron Snir, William Hill’s possible takeover of OpenBet might be a “game-changer” that will create various opportunities for operators and supplier around the UK.

Game-Changer For UK Market

Snir, who previously worked for Playtech for nine years, told eGaming Review: “The reality is if William Hill buys OpenBet it will be a game-changer for the market in the UK.“I think people will definitely be looking into how they move away from OpenBet, the problem is nothing can happen in months. OpenBet is not just content, it’s the whole platform and it will actually give an advantage to the likes of bet365 and others that have propriety technology.”Snir also stated that his role as product chief would involve developing products for certain markets, as well as adding horse and greyhound racing to the bwin sportsbook.“It is quite surprising to see that bwin is such a well-known brand in the UK even though they don’t have horseracing so I believe with the relevant adjustment on product level with more sports added, William Hill buying it [OpenBet] could allow bwin to benefit over time,” Snir said.Snir isn’t the first former Playtech employee to transfer over to GVC Holdings’. Former Playtech COO Shay Segev left Gala Coral where he was the chief strategy officer on March 1 and is now GVC Holdings’ COO.

GVC Holdings Potential

Segev is mostly responsible for the amalgamation of GVC Holdings’ and bwin.party, and Snir seems eager to work with him again. In fact Snir, who also spent five years working with 888, said Segev was one of the main factors in his decision to work for GVC. Of course, he also recognizes GVC’s potential.“GVC has some great brands – just look at bwin, look at Party which was the biggest casino in the world a few years ago,” Snir stated.“It has its own platform and content and with the right balance between in-house content and the providers then anything is possible.”