DraftKings international strategy lead steps down after eight years
Jeffrey Haas pays tribute to Boston-based operator revealing plans to concentrate on investment advice in crypto and igaming sector
DraftKings SVP of international strategy Jeffrey Haas has confirmed he will leave the US operator after almost eight years in the role.
A stalwart of the sector, Haas spent more than six-and-a-half years at PokerStars in various roles, most notably three years spent as managing director of PokerStars Live between January 2009 and December 2011.
In this role, he created the global live gaming strategy for PokerStars and retained operational and P&L responsibilities during a three-year period of rapid growth for the brand, with 10 poker tours created during his tenure.
Haas would later join bwin as a group director of poker where he managed the group’s global poker business both online and offline.
During his time with bwin, he also served as a director of the firm’s US operations, overseeing the launch of licensed B2C and B2B poker and casino operations in New Jersey, in partnership with Borgata, MGM and Boyd Gaming.
Haas joined DraftKings in August 2015 as chief international officer, spending almost five years in the role before transitioning to the SVP of international strategy role in May 2020.
He would play a crucial role as strategic and commercial lead during the initial stages of the firm’s mobile sportsbook in the pre-and post PASPA environment, while working across DraftKings’ retail sportsbook and online casino businesses.
In March 2021, Haas took on an additional role as a sector specialist working in gaming and cryptocurrency for DraftKings’ multi-stage venture capital arm, Drive by DraftKings, where he oversaw $60m of investment into sports technology and entertainment.
Haas has also worked in board advisory roles for Casino Coin and CoinSmart.
In an extensive LinkedIn post confirming his impending departure, Haas paid tribute to DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, DraftKings president Paul Liberman and North America president Matt Kalish for their support.
Haas also highlighted the transition in working for the Drive business over the last year as a transformative one in spurring his decision to step away from DraftKings and move into a more investment advice-led role.
“That [the advisory role at Drive] was an amazing learning experience, humbling and insightful, which I am so grateful for,” Haas wrote.
“I learned more in every call and meeting, and feel privileged to collaborate with brilliant minds like Kiki Mills Johnston, Jon Von Deylen, Julian Fialkow and Matt Schwimmer as we constructed, deconstructed and debated.
“I would describe the last seven years as a period of continual education,” he added.
Alluding to his future plans, Haas continued: “My plan is to advise and invest in companies I love and will probably end up in some fun mix of crypto/gaming/metaverse/NFT.”