Bwin Big New Appointment

Austrian-based online poker operator Bwin announced last week the appointment of Peter Bertilsson as new managing director of its AB subsidiary, signaling a shift at the company.

Bertilsson comes to the company with more than 15 years of experience in the industry, including a five-year stint as chief of Boss Media between 2001 and 2006.

"We have convinced a true veteran of the online gaming business-to-business business to take the challenge leading this business unit," Bwin co-CEO Norbert Teufelberger said of the news.

Meanwhile, news outlets have reported in recent days that the company is in merger talks with PartyGaming.

A merger between the two would create a new company with a total market value of more than $4 billion.

Both companies refused to confirm the speculation, but Bwin shares rose 3.2 percent on the Vienna Stock Exchange following the news, while PartyGaming's stocks climbed 6.2 percent in London.