Esports betting startup Luckbox has appointed David Lyons as director of player engagement.
Lyons will oversee the design and development of the player reward reward systems – including the Luckbox crate. He will also play a role in the payments and operations sections of the business.
Lyons describes his job as “finding cool ways to give value back to our players”.
Luckbox last month completed its public crowdsale and is the platform is due to launch later this year.
Lyons joins the Isle Of Man-based company having been associate director of poker engagement at PokerStars.
He is among several former Stars employees to be recruited by Luckbox, joining chief marketing officer Vadim Soloveychik, chief operating officer Quentin Martin and co-founders Lars Lien and Mike Stevens.
Lyons said: “I was intrigued by Luckbox’s motto of ‘esports betting done right’ and when I saw that industry heavy-hitters Archie Watt (CFO) and Vadim were getting involved, and got a chance to meet the rest of the leadership team, I realised that this was startup with a difference.
“It’s a chance to build something with the right foundations – an opportunity too good to miss.”
With a strong focus on integrity, Luckbox, is aiming to comply with top-tier licences to help bring credibility and trustworthiness to the esports betting space.
Luckbox announced Sujoy Roy as esports director earlier this month and the company says the platform is being built “by players for players”.
Lyons said: “Coming from a payments-for-gaming background, I naturally follow the crypto and gambling industries closely.
“I’m also an avid watcher of video gaming on Twitch, so I was aware of Luckbox pretty early on.
“I’ve been playing video games since the C64 but wouldn’t classify myself as a hardcore gamer (I’m currently buried in Zelda and Hearthstone). As well as that I watch a variety of streamers on Twitch when I get the time.
“I was lucky enough to get to Twitchcon last year where I attended my first live esports experience at the H1Z1 invitational.
“I was amazed at the spectrum of emotional responses that the event generated in the crowd, not just loyalty to specific players or teams, but a respect for strategy, skilled play, and simply enjoying the game itself.”
CMO Vadim Soloveychik said: “David’s arrival is another major coup for Luckbox.
“As well as striving to be authentic in the esports space, our team also has vast experience in the traditional gambling industry. We believe this balance put us in a strong and unique position as we go to market.
“I know David well having worked with him closely at Stars and am delighted his skills and experience are now at our disposal.”
