Light & Wonder has promoted Simon Johnson to the role of CEO of iGaming.

Johnson will fill the position that was vacated by Dylan Slaney in November when he stepped down for personal reasons after roughly four years in the job. Johnson will report directly to Light & Wonder President and CEO Matt Wilson.

Light & Wonder told SBC Americas at the time of Slaney’s departure that the company’s leadership had “unwavering faith in our current team’s ability to unlock even greater opportunity moving forward.”

Now, its iGaming division will move forward under Johnson, who served as the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Europe, Middle East and Africa Division before transitioning in September 2022 into the position of SVP and International Managing Director.

In a post on LinkedIn, the company said that Johnson “has been instrumental in driving the international commercial efforts of the Gaming business.”

“As we embark on a new year, I am energized by the opportunities ahead and eager to work with our incredibly talented iGaming team across the world,” Johnson wrote on his LinkedIn profile.

Light & Wonder looks to build on 2024 progress

Under Slaney’s oversight, Light & Wonder’s iGaming division revenue grew 5.7% in Q3 2024 to exceed $74 million, which the company said reflected continued momentum and new launches in North America and beyond.

EVP and CFO Oliver Chow said on an earnings call in November that gross gaming revenue on its OGS aggregation platform continues to expand across the board. In Canada, such revenue was up 29% year over year.

Wilson added on the call that Light & Wonder iGaming is the U.S. market leader in GGR share.

The company’s recent expansion in Canada has included an international distribution deal with Bragg Gaming Group to roll out games from the Toronto-based company’s various studios. It also partnered with Loto-Québec to launch the lottery corporation’s first cross-platform mystery jackpot.

A recent report from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming found that Light & Wonder has grown its Canadian online casino GGR share from 11% to 15% in the last 18 months.