Exclusive: The Stars Group appoints new head of social gaming
Toronto-headquartered operator reiterates commitment to social gaming following the appointment of Dimitri Kirin
The Stars Group (TSG) has appointed a new department head for its social gaming division as the operator reaffirmed its commitment to the vertical.
Dimitri Kirin has been promoted to head of social gaming at TSG following the departure of former StarsPlay director, Lloyd Melnick.
Melnick had been responsible for building and leading social casino, slots and poker products for StarsPlay but began his new role as EVP of casino at Australian gaming start-up Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) this week.
His replacement, Kirin, is a 17-year gaming industry veteran, having produced and licensed social games for National Geographic, Disney and Merscom, before joining TSG as a senior development manager in 2017.
A TSG spokesperson confirmed to EGR Intel that the operator will continue investing in its social gaming vertical following July’s $4.7bn acquisition of Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG).
“We still see room for this area to grow, more so as teams across the company continue to integrate and identify new synergies,” said the spokesperson.
“PokerStars Play, as well as our play money and social games, are popular offerings that enrich and expand our ecosystem.
“Games like Jackpot Poker heighten engagement, help introduce new customers to our products and cross-sell to existing customers, and give them a chance to hone their skills in a safe environment.”