Esports Entertainment Group (EEG), a full-stack esports and online betting company, saw Damian Mathews resign from the positions of chief financial officer and chief operating officer. A temporary replacement CFO was appointed until a suitable successor is found.

Mathews Will Remain a Director

Esports Entertainment Group emphasized that Mathews’ departure was not caused by an internal conflict of any sort. In addition, it pointed out that the employee will continue his work as one of the company’s board members.

Matthews joined the company in March 2022. He was expected to help the company mitigate its losses and bolster its revenues. Sadly, even with his expertise, the CFO failed to prevent EEG’s continuous fall.

While Mathews’ departure was not caused by a disagreement with the company, it may have been prompted by the recent difficulties faced by Esports Entertainment Group. The company has been struggling with its finances because of huge operating losses. As a result, EEG was forced to close some of its brands and yet, its future still remains uncertain.

EEG managed to avoid getting delisted in December but must now increase its share price by the next month or otherwise it may be forced to leave the Nasdaq. Unfortunately, EEG has so far failed to boost its shares. On the contrary, the company’s share price has been declining since.

The ongoing hurdles already caused the departure of other notable EEG executives, including the resignation of Grant Johnson as the company’s chief executive officer in late December 2022. For reference, he was succeeded by Alex Ingleman, whose addition to the company was announced a week ago.

Villani Will Serve as Interim CFO

Following Matthews’ leave, EEG named Michael Villani as interim chief financial officer. The latter has been working as a financial controller at the company since the beginning of 2021 and is well-familiar with its team and business.

Until a replacement for Matthews is found, Villani will serve both as interim CFO and a financial controller. He will leverage his experience to hopefully help EEG recover and stay on the Nasdaq.

Still, EEG will likely have to scale back its iGaming business and may be forced to sell some of its assets. It was already forced to close its Vie.gg Esportsbook in NJ, Spain and the UK. It also had to close the sites under Argyll. Furthermore, EEG announced its intentions to sell its online casino operations in Spain but is yet to proceed with these plans.

On Friday, Light & Wonder announced it has taken its collaboration with the federally recognized Native American tribe from Southern California to a new level.

Light & Wonder Extends Deal with Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians

Extending its collaboration with the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, Light & Wonder agreed to provide its leading customer loyalty and engagement platform. As a result, the leading software will be integrated into the Tribe’s casino properties including Tortoise Rock Casino and Spotlight 29 Casino in California.

Light & Wonder explained that its loyalty solution will be integrated into the Tribe’s ACSC Casino Management System (CMS) platform which was developed by the company. Additionally, Twenty-Nine Palms’ Point of Sale (POS) systems, kiosks and Entertainment showrooms will benefit from engaging new options from Light & Wonder.

According to Light & Wonder, the partnership extension already delivered multiple new features for Tortoise Rock Casino and Spotlight 29 Casino. Those features include CORE, which the company described as a system that helps with the configuration of loyalty program tiers, gifts and rewards. The two venues can also benefit from new promotions and offers. This enabled “retail offers to be setup within Light & Wonder’s system and electronically redeemed by integration into InfoGenesis,” the company explained. Last but not least, the two venues can also leverage Publisher and Journey Builder. The solution boosts communication efforts via messages and emails, creating new customer engagement opportunities. This solution also allows the configuration of different loyalty events.

The Collaboration Brings Excitement to the Duo

The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians’ vice president of information technology, Steve Libauskas, explained that the Tribe has already seen the benefits of the leading ACSC CMS platform provided by Light & Wonder. “As we expand our contract with Light & Wonder, we are thrilled about the integration of their new platform into our existing systems, including ACSC, and are confident that this will further allow us to drive engagement, player satisfaction and ultimately business,” he pointed out in conclusion.

“We value the long-time relationship and trust that we have cultivated with the casino properties of The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.“

Jon Wolfe, president of global systems and Services at Light & Wonder

Light & Wonder’s president of global systems and services, Jon Wolfe, was similarly excited about the extended collaboration. He said that the company values its business relationship with the Tribe. Finally, Wolfe said that the new platform will create new player experiences for Twenty-Nine Palms’ casino locations.