Zynga, the online social games supplier, is making great strides in the world of online gambling by adding a former gambling executive to its payroll. Maytal Ginzburg, who once served as a senior vice president at UK based gambling site, 888 Holdings, has joined Zynga Gaming at a time when the group is doing all it can to enter the world of internet gambling in regulated jurisdictions. Ginzburg’s job description is chief operating officer in charge of new markets.
It is not clear when Ginzburg will start her new job at Zynga, but it has been confirmed that it will be soon.
Zynga Gaming has been making it clear for a year now that it is going for entry into the online gambling market and recently the group’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Pincus confirmed that Zynga is in the process of developing its first real money products. Zynga has significant presence on the social networking site, Facebook, and its play-for-fun social games are permanently placed at the top of the site’s list of most popular games, boasting millions of users each day. By pursuing real money gaming, Zynga will be able to leverage its presence on Facebook and tap into this player’s base. Zynga has created social games across most platforms, including casino, poker, bingo and slots.
Mark Pincus said in an earlier interview that he believes Zynga’s first real money gaming products will be ready to hit international markets by the first half of next year. It will, of course, depend on whether the company receives licensing approval from the jurisdictions it wishes to operate in.