More Executives Gamble And Leave Zynga

Several Zynga developers are rolling the dice and taking a gamble on new careers. Some are taking positions at rival gaming companies.

Erik Bethke, a general manager who oversaw “Mafia Wars 2,” Ya- Bing Chu, a vice president in Zynga’s mobile division, and Jeremy Strauser, a general manager resigned from Zynga this month.

In addition, Alan Patmore, Zynga’s general manager of CityVille, believes he has Balls Of Steel and is leaving Zynga to join Kixeye. I guess he liked the recruiting video by Kixeye. Patmore will be responsible for product strategy and development at Kixeye.

 

The Poker hand that these former executives are drawing new cards in may have the highest of stakes that they are risking losing. Companies, like Zynga, which are seeking to get online poker legalized in the U.S got dealt a queen this week when a federal judge in New York concluded that skill plays the bigger role in determining who wins a poker game. This could strengthen the hand that these companies are pushing to get gambling legalized.  

Luck or Skill

Courtesy; WSJ Online

A comparison of games—and comments from Judge Weinstein:

• Pure Skill: Chess 'Chess, a game in which all possible moves are known in advance, can be characterized as a pure game of skill.'
• More Skill than Chance: Bridge, Golf, Poker 'In poker…players cannot know what cards the 'luck of the draw' will deal them. The same can be said of bridge…'Chance also influences many sports, such as golf…Yet no one would dispute that bridge and golf are games of skill.'
• More Chance than Skill: Sports Betting, Blackjack, Craps 'While a gambler with an encyclopedic knowledge of sports may perform better than others when wagering on the outcome of sporting events, unlike in poker, his skill does not influence game play.'
• Pure or Nearly Pure Chance: Slot Machines, Roulette, Baccarat, Lotteries

Only time will tell if these executives placed the right bets. Or Zynga may become the Pit Boss and have a stacked deck If gambling eventually does become legalized.