PENN Entertainment is hunting for a new C-suite executive to help run the day-to-day operations of its Interactive division, including theScore Bet’s online sports betting and online casino operations in Canada and the U.S.
PENN has overhauled its top-level corporate organizational structure with the aim of aligning leadership and resources with its revised strategic priorities, following the termination of its ESPN Bet partnership and the rebranding of its U.S.-facing sportsbook to theScore Bet.
Two executives roles terminated
As part of the changes, Executive Vice President of Operations Todd George and Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Rich Primus have both left the company. They will not be directly replaced, and their roles will be eliminated.
George had been with PENN for over 13 years, holding senior operational roles across multiple regional properties and overseeing major casino development projects in the U.S. Primus was CIO for more than a decade and played a central role in shaping PENN’s enterprise technology strategy, something that will now be taken over by Chief Technology Officer and Head of Interactive Aaron LaBerge.
“Both Todd and Rich have made significant contributions to PENN’s evolution over the past decade and helped build the strong foundation we have in place today,” said PENN CEO and President Jay Snowden. “On behalf of the company’s board of directors, I want to express my appreciation for their dedication and efforts to PENN over the years and wish them well in their future endeavours.”
With George out as operations lead, multiple SVPs in charge of regional operations will now report directly to Snowden. So too will Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Weissman, whose mandate will be to strengthen the company’s omnichannel performance and expand the reach and cross-sell effectiveness of the PENN Play loyalty program across all PENN brands.
PENN seeks new digital COO
PENN is also actively searching for a new digital-focused Chief Operating Officer to report directly to LaBerge and run day-to-day Interactive operations, allowing LaBerge to focus more heavily on enterprise-wide technology integration.
When former Head of PENN Interactive and President & COO of theScore Benjie Levy left the company in 2022, PENN did not replace Levy with a theScore-focused leader, instead putting the entire Interactive business in the hands of ex-ESPN exec LaBerge.
This week’s corporate restructuring comes less than a month after PENN recruited LaBerge’s former ESPN colleague, Nate Ravitz, to fill the newly created role of Head of theScore. Ravitz oversees content, advertising sales and growth strategy for PENN Interactive’s only owned media business. His remit also includes helping to converge theScore media and theScore Bet in both the U.S. and Canada. Ravitz will likely report to the new COO in the new setup.
A new structure for a new era
PENN said at the time it ended the ill-fated ESPN Bet venture that it will concentrate on its revised Interactive strategy, including theScore’s media and betting assets in Canada, the sports betting rebrand under theScore Bet south of the border, and the Hollywood Casino online casino product in America. theScore Bet is now operational in 21 U.S. states as well as in Ontario.
PENN also maintains a historic brick-and-mortar casino business in the U.S. and is pursuing a broader omnichannel model across North America.
As well as the high-level leadership restructuring, further major operational changes could be coming at PENN. Snowden floated the idea late last year of PENN re-establishing some form of land-based gaming presence in Canada, and PENN Interactive VP of Gaming Jason Birney suggested to Canadian Gaming Business that it’s not out of the question that Hollywood Casino could be introduced to Ontario.
