Marketing director quits betting company

Stanley Leisure marketing director Tony Gibbons has left the betting and casino operator just weeks after the departure of managing director Paul Collis. It is not known whether he has a job to go to.

Director of business Steve Myers will take on the marketing director’s duties in the short term, although the company is expected to look for a replacement. One insider says that Gibbons’ appointment “just did not work out”.

The departures come at a challenging time for the company, which is jostling for position with other casino UK operators as well as larger international rivals to prepare for proposed deregulation in 2006.

Collis, who resigned from the board and his position as managing director of the gaming division, has since been replaced by finance director Michael Riddy.

Stanley Leisure claims to be the largest casino operator with 41 casinos around the UK. The Stanley Racing division is the UK’s fourth-largest bookmaker, with more than 650 shops, and was recently rebranded as Stanleybet.

Stanley Leisure does not have a single retained ad agency in the UK, although it works with a number of regional agencies on a project basis. Sources at the company say it is likely to consolidate its business into a single agency prior to the deregulation of the industry.