Russell Illsley and Robert Gapp embarrass Stanleybet in recruitment scandal

If you were to quiz members of the online gambling industry, we’re sure you’d find a high percentage that loved their jobs and loved the industry in which those jobs were based. Outside of the occasional interference by overzealous law enforcement agencies in, ahem, less enlightened countries, many of us view the online gaming biz as something akin to paradise (at least, in terms of how one makes a living).

But just like the original paradise, the Garden of Eden, there are a few simple rules that need to be observed if one wishes to continue residing there. For most of us, abiding by these rules poses no great challenge. Despite what online gambling’s naysayers might think, this industry is mostly comprised of people that pride themselves on integrity, straight shooting and square dealing.

And then there’s Russell Illsley and Robert Gapp.

Illsley currently works for Liverpool-based Stanleybet International. A year or so previous, Illsley was fired from his position at a Spanish-based tech supplier to the online gaming industry. Illsley was given the boot for incompetence, insubordination and serious ethical lapses. However, since his dismissal, even more evidence of Illsley’s ethical flexibility has come to light.

It seems Illsley left a ‘mole’ behind at his former company in the form of Robert Gapp. Until recently, Gapp was under exclusive contract at this Spanish company with a mandate to recruit top talent. However, internal emails reveal that Gapp and Illsley were engaged in a conspiracy to funnel the choicest candidates to Illsley (and, by extension, to Stanleybet). In addition to rerouting résumés, Gapp also helped identify current employees of the company at which he worked for Illsley’s consideration. Gapp has subsequently learned the price of such betrayal – being granted sufficient leisure time with which to update his own CV.

For the record, there’s no suggestion here that Stanleybet was either aware of or condoned Illsley’s duplicity. After being informed of the pair’s antics, Stanleybet’s David Purvis confirmed that the company will not be utilizing Gapp’s services anytime soon. Whether Illsley also gets kicked to the curb remains to be seen, but we’d humbly suggest that while a snake may shed his skin from time to time, that doesn’t make his venom any less toxic. And any employee who would secretly work to sabotage a former employer isn’t likely to feel any qualms about doing likewise to future ex-employers down the road.

Obviously, Illsley’s job is to recruit top talent, and no one would begrudge his above-board efforts to do so. But to intentionally co-opt/corrupt an employee to betray his current employer… It’s worth remembering that Eve was specifically instructed not to eat the forbidden fruit, yet couldn’t resist after being led to believe that she would personally benefit from doing so, and went on to convince the guileless Adam to do likewise. In the end, both got kicked out of the Garden for their transgressions. Will Russell and Robert be similarly banished from the online gambling industry paradise? If not, the rest of the industry would be well advised to consider that any business deal with Illsley and Gapp may be subject to change at their sole discretion and to your detriment.

If you have any further information related to this story that you would like to share with us privately please click here.

Can't get enough CalvinAyre.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, then you'll never miss out on the latest gaming industry news.