Following the announcement of John Schappert’s resignation as COO of Zynga, the company has filled by position by hiring Maytal Ginzburg, who recently left her role at gambling website operator 888 Holdings.

Zynga artist’s rendering of Maytal Ginzburg

Ginzburg recently updated her LinkedIn profile to reflect her new employer after serving as SVP of regulated markets at 888 Holdings. Her responsibilities at her former job revolved around acquiring customers and assisting in the operation of the company’s online portal which offers poker, bingo and sports betting.

The veteran’s arrival at Zynga is perhaps the strongest indication of Zynga’s aspirations for tapping into online gambling, a market which is expected to reach upwards of $32 billion in 2012. A recent Crowdpark market report emphasized the potential of joining the social gaming industry with online gambling, and Zynga is undoubtedly paying attention to these eye-catching numbers:

The social games industry is projected to reach $8B in 2012. Social casino and betting games marry this potential with online gambling, gross revenues of which exceeded $32B in 2011. Betting and casino games account for 43% and 24% of this figure respectively. By pursuing a cross-platform strategy, mobile social casino games developers can also tap into the mobile gaming market, which was measured at $2.72B in 2011.

In a conversation with Inside Poker Business, Ginzburg said, “We want to attract players who will play for casual entertainment, and we therefore needed to deliver social platforms that are easy to use yet provide all the interactive features users expect.”

Even though she hasn’t officially started work yet, she seems she’ll fit right in. Will Ginzburg be able to pull Zynga back onto its feet in light of the company’s recent financial troubles?