Leisure and Gaming

Leisure and Gaming plcCompany type| Public limited company

|

Industry| Holding company
Founded| August 2004; 20 years ago (2004-08)
Defunct| October 2010 (2010-10)
Fate| Administration due to insolvency
Headquarters|

London

United Kingdom

Areas served

* Europe
* United States (until October 2006)

Key people

* Henry Birch (Director, 2004–2006 CEO, 2006 – August 2008)
* Richard Creed (CEO, August 2008–2010)

Subsidiaries| Betshop

Leisure and Gaming plc (also "L&G")[1] was formerly a holding company based in London,[2] and listed on the London Stock Exchange with major assents in the global interactive betting and gaming industry. Its interests spanned from software development to marketing.

## History

[edit]

L&G was incorporated in England and Wales in August 2004.[3] Its registered holders are BNY Norwich Union Nominees Ltd, Chase GA Group Nominees Ltd, Chase Nominees Ltd, CUIM Nominee Ltd, and Vidacos Nominees Ltd.

L&G acquired Betshop, a European betting and gaming business, in 2006.[4] In October 2006, immediately preceding passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006,[4] the company sold its US-facing online gambling business to a private group for US$1,[4][5] and no longer accepted wagers from US residents.[6] The subsidiaries divested in this exit were Bon Bini, ECom ServCorp, English Harbour, Nine.com and VIP.[4] This left Betshop as the company's main operating subsidiary.[4]

By 2008[update], the company's properties consisted of BetShop Italia, BetShop.com, GoalsLive.com and Acropolis Casino, the focus of which was expansion in Italy and Central and Eastern Europe.[7]

Trading in shares of the company was suspended in May 2010.[8][9] By October 2010, the company had received a demand from bankers for repayment of debts,[1][8] and was subsequently placed into Administration due to its insolvency.[9] Two principles of FRP Advisory executed a purchase of Betshop, thereby maintaining the company as a going concern and preserving operations in the UK, Italy, Cyprus and Greece.[9]

## Management

[edit]

Henry Birch assumed the role of chief executive officer (CEO) in 2006, having served as director since 2004.[2] Birch had previously served as the chief operating officer of the Israeli online and TV gaming platform developer Bettingcorp.[10]

Richard Creed was named the company's finance director in May 2008, succeeding Michael Baird; Creed had formerly been finance director for BetonSports.[7]

Also in May 2008, Neil Craven was appointed as the company's non-executive director, succeeding Benjamin Shaw.[7]

In August 2008, Creed succeeded Birch as the company's CEO.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Leisure and Gaming solvency hinges on Betshop sale". InfoPowa News. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2018 - via Casino Listings Online.[dead link‍]
2. ^ a b c "Creed Replacing Birch At Leisure And Gaming". iGaming Business. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
3. ^ "LEISURE & GAMING PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY overview - GOV.UK". service.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
4. ^ a b c d e "Preliminary Results for the year ended 31 December 2006" (Press release). Leisure & Gaming plc. 22 March 2007.[self-published source]
5. ^ White, Bobby (26 October 2006). "'Fantasy' Web sites let users bet without cash". Section 4. The Daily Herald. Chicago, Illinois. The Wall Street Journal. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2018 - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ Reuters: Three UK firms flee U.S. gambling with $1 buyouts Archived 2007-03-20 at the Wayback Machine
7. ^ a b c "Leisure and Gaming PLC Appoints Richard Creed to Company Board". 21OnlineCasinos (Blog). Retrieved 7 May 2018.
8. ^ a b "Leisure & Gaming Only Trying to Sell Betshop". Gambling911 (Blog). 12 October 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
9. ^ a b c "Administration of the Leisure & Gaming plc and the sale of Betshop Group (Europe) Limited" (Press release). FRP Advisory. 27 October 2010. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011.
10. ^ "Henry Birch to succeed Ian Burke as Chief Executive" (Press release). Rank Group. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2018.

## Further reading

[edit]

* kaus (17 October 2009). "Leisure and Gaming Plc Post Positive Q3 Results". OnlinePoker.net (Blog). Retrieved 7 May 2018.