iGaming
In Memoriam: Jeff Mann
Jeff Mann, Managing Director of MegaSportsWorld and former CEO of the Asian Poker Tour, has passed away. Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who knew him.
Roland Cinco 1 min read
In memoriam · Jeff Mann, 1958–2026
We learned this week that Jeff Mann has passed away. Jeff served as Managing Director of MegaSportsWorld and, before that, as CEO of the Asian Poker Tour, a combination that made him one of the few people in this region who moved between Philippine sports betting and regional tournament poker at a senior level, trusted by both worlds.
Jeff was a connective figure in an industry that doesn't have many of them. MegaSportsWorld operates as a major player in Philippine sports betting, while the Asian Poker Tour gave him reach across tournament organizers and the poker community throughout Southeast and East Asia. Few people held that kind of standing in both rooms at once, and fewer still were trusted the way he was in either.
Related briefs
- Jeff Mann's passing leaves a gap in PH gamingJeff Mann's death removes one of the more genuinely connected operators in Philippine gaming, someone whose work spanned MegaSportsWorld and the Asian Poker Tour at the moment when both segments were defining their regional footing. This is not a commercial event, but his network across poker, sports betting, and Philippine gaming operations will redistribute across the sector in the coming months. Counterparties and collaborators who worked with Mann should be thoughtful about the transition period at MegaSportsWorld and the relationships that ran through him personally.Leadership
- Light & Wonder puts a managing director in MacauLight & Wonder appointing Mike Smith as Asia managing director, relocating him to Macau from October 1, signals a deliberate upgrade in regional commercial attention. Smith's background is in global commercial strategy for table games, which means his mandate is almost certainly to accelerate B2B relationships with integrated resort operators across the region, including Philippine and Southeast Asian accounts. For Philippine land-based operators and gaming equipment buyers, expect more direct senior engagement from Light & Wonder on product roadmap and commercial terms than you have seen in the past. If you have an outstanding conversation with them, this transition is a natural moment to reset it at a higher level.Leadership

Comments (0)
Be civil. No promotion. No confidential information.