Don Ryan, a digital publishing and online gaming executive who previously worked at Betfair U.S. and Parx Racing and Casino, was named chief executive officer of the parent company of Daily Racing Form, according to an announcement made by the company Wednesday. Ryan, 49, will replace John Hartig, who has been chief executive of the parent company, Sports Information Group, since 2008. Hartig is joining the company’s board of directors. Ryan was hired by Z Capital Group, a private investment company that purchased SIG in 2017. Ryan was most recently the leader of a new ventures team at Parx, the suburban Philadelphia racetrack. At Parx, where he was employed for the past three years, Ryan focused on improving the company’s on-line and on-property wagering operations, as well as other projects that were “aspirational and innovative,” he said in a recent interview. Prior to Parx, from early 2014 to early 2015, Ryan was the senior vice president of gaming at Betfair, the British-based company that owns TVG and the Betfair on-line wagering exchange service operating in New Jersey. He said his responsibilities at Betfair included the launch of the Betfair brand to U.S. customers. At DRF, Ryan said that he would focus on “continuing DRF's digital transformation," including its editorial content, account-wagering operation, and data delivery. “Ultimately, I was very impressed with Z Capital’s choice of continuing to drive the digital transformation of this brand,” Ryan said, when asked what attracted him to the job. “It merged all those things I have focused on in the past into something that already has a great foundation.” Since Hartig took the helm of the company, DRF has changed its editorial operations to focus on the real-time delivery of content to handicappers, most notably through the launch of DRF Live, a micro-news operation. In 2011, the company launched its own account-wagering operation, DRF Bets, seeking to leverage that content into a new revenue stream for the 124-year-old brand. DRF Bets was re-launched in February of this year, introducing a new user interface and vastly upgraded wagering experience. Ryan said that he does not foresee significant changes to DRF’s editorial mission, instead keeping the focus on content to maximize value for horseplayers. “The editorial product, to me, that’s a big aspect of the special sauce,” Ryan said. Ryan earned an MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Prior to taking the job at Betfair, he was a partner at a management consulting firm, and prior to that, he worked at Microsoft for 15 years in “various product development and business ownership roles,” according to the press release. He was ultimately named the general manager of several game studios within Microsoft’s Xbox division. Ryan said that he believes that racing is poised to grow its business if the industry can focus on better serving its existing customers, a goal for DRF. Part of that mission will be the redesign of DRF’s mobile product. “There’s a lot of integration still to do, and that’s going to mean continuing investment in new and better technology,” Ryan said. “Having a state-of-the-art mobile product is critical to the next stage of growth here.” In a statement, Hartig said that he was looking forward to joining DRF’s board of directors after 10 years directing the company. “I’m incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished through innovation, creativity, and deep passion for the game,” he said. “With our ever-expanding portfolio of digital products and services, DRF has never been better positioned to serve today’s horseplayer and industry partners.”