SharpLink Announces New CFO
SharpLink, which operates as a US-facing sports betting affiliate marketing and technology business, has announced that it has recruited Robert DeLucia, CPA as its latest chief financial officer. DeLucia will replace the company’s former CFO Brian Bennet who is moving on to pursue new career opportunities. SharpLink works with several league operators including NASCAR and the National Hockey League.
DeLucia Worked in Several Financial and Accounting Roles Prior to SharpLink
SharpLink Gaming, which is a sports betting affiliate marketing and technology company focused on the US sports betting market, has come out and announced that it has chosen Robert DeLucia, CPA as its new and latest chief financial officer (CFO).
DeLucia will be taking on the role previously held by former chief financial officer (CFO) Brian Bennet. SharpLink also revealed that Bennett has chosen to leave the company to pursue fresh career opportunities.
Before he arrived at SharpLink, DeLucia served in a number of financial and accounting positions, featuring time spent as chief accounting officer at the internet service supplier GTT Communications, interim CFO of Neon Logistics and Controller of Eastern Airlines.
For those still unfamiliar with SharpLink: the company was founded in 2019 with the main purpose of furnishing sports betting technology and affiliate marketing services. SharpLink works closely together with a selection of premier sports league operators, including the likes of NASCAR, the National Hockey League (NHL), and the PGA Tour.
And as recently as January 2022, SharpLink entered into an agreement in which it bought $8.2 million worth of assets from igaming affiliate business FourCubed, including the company’s international igaming affiliate marketing business.
SharpLink Co-Founder Praises DeLucia’s Extensive Experience
On the occasion of Robert DeLucia taking on the new role of CFO at sports betting technology and affiliate marketing service company SharpLink, Rob Phythian, the company’s co-founder and CEO, highlighted DeLucia’s extensive experience in particular:
“Bob is a proven CFO with a superior track record of delivering results and creating value for a wide range of public and private companies spanning a range of global industries.”– Rob Phythian, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SharpLink Gaming, Press Release
Phythian went onto: single out DeLucia’s specific skills, all of which will combine to make him an effective financial leader at the company:
“We believe he is a high impact executive who brings us a compelling blend of strategic and capital management discipline, well-honed operating skills in high growth environments and deep expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital formation, audit oversight and implementations, and SEC reporting and compliance.”
The current form of SharpLink in terms of a corporate entity comes as a result of a 2021 reverse merger between Mer Telemanagement Solutions (MTS) and SharpLink. The merger resulted in SharpLink being allowed to publicly list its shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
In closing, Phythian welcomed DeLucia to the SharpLink family and expressed hope about the future of working closely together:
“We are delighted to welcome Bob to the SharpLink leadership team and really look forward to working in close collaboration with him to move SharpLink through its next phase of exciting growth.”
British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) Announced New CEO in August 2022
In other executive-level news in the North American gambling scene, the lottery operator for the Canadian province of British Columbia, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), finally announced a new permanent president and CEO in August 2022 following a lengthy interim period.
It is the former BCLC chief information officer and vice president for business technology Pat Davis who will take on the new role on a permanent basis, taking over from ??Lynda Cavanaugh, who has been acting as interim president and CEO since January 2022.
Davis holds experience in leadership positions in enterprise architecture and program management, while also acting as a board member of the Chief Information Officer Council of British Columbia.
Former British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) interim president and current board member Greg Moore sees Davis as a major boon to the BCLC’s operations moving forward:
“We are confident his experience combined with his dedication to integrity, player health and serving the best interests of our players and our province will further propel the advancement of BCLC as a social purpose company that operates with the highest standards.”– Greg Moore, Former Interim President and Current Board Member, British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), Press Release
React Gaming Selected Interim CEO in July 2022
Back in July 2022, North American esports and gaming provider React Gaming revealed that it appointed Leigh Hughes as its latest interim chief executive. Hughes immediately took on the role, taking over from Laurent Benezra.
Hughes himself is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist showcasing over 20 years of experience collaborating with private and public companies across the globe, though he focused mainly on North America, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
React Gaming’s new interim chief executive expressed excitement at the prospect of working at the company, believing that it had already grown significantly over the past year:
“I am excited to have the opportunity to leverage the assets that React Gaming has acquired over the past year, including Loot.bet, Compete.gg and Parabellum, all of which are top-tier assets with significant growth potential. My role as CEO and a major shareholder will be to build on this solid foundation, with the help of our outstanding and driven team, to continue to grow React Gaming and make it a leader in the esports space.”