Sky Betting and Gaming’s (SBG) new Managing Director has told SBC News that he intends to “make the most” of parent company Flutter Entertainment’s global reach.
Neil Banbury took on the leadership role on Thursday 29 September, and confirmed his new position to the global betting and gaming industry the following week via LinkedIn.
The firm’s new MD joins from Kindred Group, where he worked his way up from a Financial Analyst role in 2010 to Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer in 2024, before leaving the company in 2026.
His tenure at Kindred overlapped with its acquisition by FDJ United for €2.45bn in 2023.
As MD of SBG, Banbury will oversee the firm’s portfolio of Sky Bet, Sky Casino, Sky Poker and Sky Bingo. SBG’s brands remain formidable in the UK, with Sky Bet being one of the top five biggest online betting brands by internet traffic according to Blask.
“Sky Betting & Gaming is one of the strongest brands in the UK market, with a genuine connection to entertainment and to sports fans,” Banbury told SBC News.
“I’m excited to lead the team in its next phase: delivering a great experience for our customers, with safer gambling at the core, and working with colleagues across Flutter to make the most of the group’s scale.”
Testing times for Sky Bet and Flutter
Banbury’s addition to SBG’s senior management team comes amid major changes in the UK online betting and gaming market. Extensive restructuring and consolidation is widely expected by the industry, particularly by some of its major players like Flutter, due to the new tax regime imposed in April this year.
Flutter’s appointment of Banbury as SBG MD also comes amid a wider leadership restructuring at the company, with long-serving group Chief Executive Officer, Peter Jackson, being replaced by Dan Taylor, formerly CEO of Flutter International, on 1 October.
Earlier this year, it was also confirmed that Amy Howe, the long-serving CEO of FanDuel – one of the two biggest regaled sportsbooks in the US alongside DraftKings and Flutter’s most valuable asset by revenue – would be vacating her own leadership role.
These c-level leadership changes came about during a rough time for Flutter’s trading on the NYSE – the firm’s share price is down over 63% year-over-year. None of these changes have been directly attributed to this drop in the company’s stock.
The role of MD of SBG has shifted a number of times in recent years. SBG hasn’t had a CEO in some time, with the company instead being overseen by Commercial Directors and Managing Directors.
Banbury’s addition follows the departure of long-time SBG senior executive Steve Birch In December 2025. Birch had worked with SBG since 2007, when he joined as a Marketing Analyst.
A tenure of nearly 20 years saw Birch become Managing Director of Sky Bet UK in 2018 and Chief Executive Officer in 2020. Following the creation of Flutter Entertainment in 2019, Birch became Chief Commercial officer for SBG within the new global group in 2022.
Birch has since confirmed his departure from the iGaming sector entirely, becoming Chief Digital Sales Officer at Great British Rail Journeys.