Altenar has appointed Mitchell Harrison as sales director, giving the B2B sportsbook supplier a dedicated commercial lead for its expansion in Europe and North America.
Harrison has more than 20 years in sales and business development, eight of them in iGaming and sports betting. His roles in the sector include positions at SBTech, DraftKings, Genius Sports and Gaming Innovation Group (GiG).
In the new role he will work on growing Altenar’s business in what the company calls Tier-1 markets, with Europe and North America named as the priority regions.
Supplier and operator experience
Harrison’s CV covers both sides of the sportsbook supply chain. SBTech and GiG sold sportsbook and platform technology to operators, Genius Sports supplies official sports data and betting feeds, and DraftKings is a US sportsbook and online casino operator. DraftKings acquired SBTech in 2020, bringing its betting technology in-house.
Harrison said that mix of B2B and operator work shapes how he will approach the job:
“Having worked on both the B2B and operator sides of the industry, I bring a relationship-first approach, strong commercial strategy expertise and a clear understanding of what operators need from a technology provider.”
He described the move as a fit with his sportsbook background:
“Joining Altenar feels like a natural culmination of my background across the sportsbook industry, and I’m excited to be part of the team for this next phase of major growth.”
Harrison also named Altenar’s product approach as a reason for joining:
“Altenar’s values and mindset matched perfectly with me, particularly its focus on a sportsbook that can adapt to an operator’s brand, regulatory requirements and local player preferences.”
Commercial team
Charlie Williams, commercial director at Altenar, said the hire adds experience in both of the company’s target regions:
“Mitchell combines extensive sportsbook, technology and commercial experience with a strong understanding of both established European markets and the rapidly-developing North American landscape.”
Williams added that Harrison’s time at consumer brands was part of the case for the appointment:
“His experience across major B2C brands, alongside his work with leading B2B suppliers, gives him a strong perspective on what operators need from their technology partners. We are pleased to welcome Mitchell to the team and look forward to building on our commercial growth across these markets.”
Altenar did not disclose revenue targets, client numbers or named markets linked to the appointment.
Two different sales markets
The two regions Harrison will cover work differently for a sportsbook supplier. Most regulated European markets license online betting at national level, so one set of approvals can open a whole country to a supplier’s clients.
In the US, sports betting is legalised and regulated state by state after the Supreme Court struck down the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018. A supplier needs separate approvals in each state where its operator clients go live. In Canada, Ontario has run an open, regulated online market since April 2022.
The US market is also concentrated. FanDuel and DraftKings take most of the country’s online sports betting revenue, and both run their own sportsbook technology, as does bet365. That leaves B2B suppliers competing for challenger operators and new entrants, against established sportsbook providers such as Kambi and OpenBet.
What comes next
Harrison’s first test will be turning Altenar’s European relationships and his own North American contacts into signed operator deals. The announcement did not name target US states or Canadian provinces.
Because supplier approvals are required before any new client can launch in a US state, licensing filings are likely to be the first public sign of how fast the North American push moves.
Source: Altenar
