Industry News
DraftKings Announces Leadership Changes to Increase Focus on Operational Efficiencies

DraftKings Inc. announced that Jason Park, DraftKings’ Chief Financial Officer, will become the Company’s Chief Transformation Officer, effective as of May 1, 2024. In this newly created role, Mr. Park will lead initiatives to deploy cutting edge technologies to capture additional operating efficiencies as well as oversee the integration of the proposed acquisition of Jackpocket Inc. (Jackpocket). Alan Ellingson, DraftKings’ Senior Vice President, Finance and Analytics, will be elevated to Chief Financial Officer, effective as of May 1, 2024. Mr. Ellingson will continue to enhance shareholder value over time by driving the Company toward its financial objectives.
Jason Robins, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of DraftKings, said: “I have asked Jason Park to take on a new role at DraftKings to address and capture large efficiency opportunities that I expect will generate significant incremental profitability over the coming years. Jason’s unique skill set, based on his accomplishments over the last five years as our Chief Financial Officer and 11 years as a private equity Operating Partner, will allow us to further improve how we operate. In addition, I’m confident he will unlock the benefits of our proposed acquisition of Jackpocket following its closing to strengthen DraftKings’ position in U.S. online gaming. There are also potentially transformational AI applications on the horizon that could change the way businesses operate and serve their customers to create potential long-term advantages.”
Mr. Park joined DraftKings as Chief Financial Officer in June 2019 and oversaw the Company’s transition to the public markets. During his tenure as Chief Financial Officer, DraftKings’ revenue grew from $323 million in 2019 to $3,665 million in 2023. The Company also produced positive Adjusted EBITDA in the second and fourth quarters of 2023 due in part to Mr. Park’s leadership of operational efficiency programs. In addition, from the Company’s initial trading day on July 25, 2019, through March 15, 2024, the Company’s stock price increased more than 325%.
Jason Park said: “I am thrilled to take on this new role which tackles several significant opportunities to improve how we operate and taps into my passion for building great and highly efficient companies. Alan is perfectly suited to seamlessly step into the Chief Financial Officer role as an established company leader with deep credibility across the entire organization. I look forward to assisting with this transition and continuing to deliver value for our shareholders. We will provide more information on the transformation program during our next earnings call.”
Alan Ellingson joined DraftKings in 2020 and currently serves as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Finance and Analytics. For the past four years, Mr. Ellingson has worked closely with Mr. Park to develop a world-class finance and accounting organization, which includes building the forecasting capabilities that support the creation, tracking and ongoing refresh of the Company’s multi-year financial objectives.
Jason Robins added: “I am very excited to elevate Alan Ellingson to Chief Financial Officer and have him continue to lead the Company on the very clear path that we have laid out. Alan has been with DraftKings for more than four years, has extensive experience across our finance and analytics teams, and most importantly, deeply understands our core value drivers and focus on maximizing shareholder value.”
Alan Ellingson, incoming Chief Financial Officer, said: “We have built a world class finance organization, and I look forward to expanding my leadership role with the team. In addition, I look forward to working closely with Jason Robins to deliver outstanding financial performance and generate incredible shareholder returns.”
Industry News
SharpLink Gaming Announces $425,000,000 Private Placement to Initiate Ethereum Treasury Strategy

SharpLink Gaming Inc. announced that it has entered into securities purchase agreements for a private investment in public equity (PIPE) for the purchase and sale of 69,100,313 shares of common stock (or common stock equivalents in lieu thereof) at a price of $6.15 per share ($6.72 per share for certain members of the Company’s management team), for expected aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $425,000,000, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses.
Consensys Software Inc. acted as the lead investor, and the offering included participation by prominent crypto venture capital firms and infrastructure providers such as ParaFi Capital, Electric Capital, Pantera Capital, Arrington Capital, Galaxy Digital, Ondo, White Star Capital, GSR, Hivemind Capital, Hypersphere, Primitive Ventures, and Republic Digital among others including Rob Phythian, SharpLink’s CEO, and Robert DeLucia, SharpLink’s CFO.
The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about May 29, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Company intends to use the funds to acquire the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain commonly referred to as “ETH” pending identification of working capital needs and other general corporate purposes. ETH will serve as the Company’s primary treasury reserve asset.
A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners is acting as the sole placement agent in connection with the offering.
“This is a significant milestone in SharpLink’s journey and marks an expansion beyond our core business. On closing, we look forward to working with Consensys and welcoming Joseph to the Board,” said Rob Phythian, Founder and CEO of SharpLink.
“On close, Consensys looks forward to partnering with SharpLink to explore and develop an Ethereum Treasury Strategy and to work with them in their core business as a strategic advisor. This is an exciting time for the Ethereum community, and I am delighted to work with Rob and the team to bring the Ethereum opportunity to public markets,” said Joseph Lubin, Founder and CEO of Consensys and Co-Founder of Ethereum.
Industry News
Double win for Kaizen Gaming at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024

Kaizen Gaming, one of the biggest GameTech companies in the world, had an impressive double-win at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024 on the 31st October in Miami, Florida. Awarded ‘Brazilian Market Entrant of the Year’, and ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’, the two wins follow an impressive year of growth and exposure for Kaizen Gaming, as well as its premium brand Betano, across Latin America and globally.
Betano is rapidly growing its user base and presence in Brazil, serving as the main and title sponsor of Brasileirão Betano and Copa Betano do Brasil. As a founding member of the ANJL and IBJR regulatory bodies, Betano is recognised for its dedication to upholding the highest standards of responsible gaming and integrity. Furthermore, the Betano brand has launched multiple CSR initiatives across the country in partnership with sponsored team, Clube Atlético Mineiro. It also recently launched the “Juntos em Campo” long-term program in cooperation with CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) to promote initiatives focused on gender equality.
Awarded for the results and creativity of its innovative “Football in America” marketing campaign, Betano successfully introduced Latin America to its “Confia” brand platform by leveraging on its CONMEBOL Copa America™️ 2024 sponsorship. The campaign chimed with the spirit of fans across the continent by celebrating Latin America’s rich football heritage, playfully responding to Kylian Mbappe’s 2022 comments questioning the region’s football quality.
Vangelis Skarkalis, Kaizen Gaming Senior Commercial Director LATAM, said: “Latin America is one of the world’s most dynamic and exciting regions for i-gaming. Being recognised as a leading player in this important market with two wins at the prestigious SBC Awards Latinoamérica is a great honour – especially on the heels of our recent double-win as ‘Operator of the Year’ at both the EGR Operator Awards and SBC Awards. Achieving this success requires an exceptional team of dedicated, ambitious professionals. This award honours everyone’s hard work and commitment to always going above and beyond in delivering the best experiences for our customers not only in Latin America, but worldwide too.”
Industry News
SOFTSWISS Wins SBC Latinoamérica Award for Help Brazil Initiative

SOFTSWISS has won the Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year nomination at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024 for its impactful ‘Help Brazil’ initiative. This recognition underscores the company’s support for Brazilian communities affected by severe flooding earlier this year and its dedication to implementing meaningful social responsibility projects.
The SBC Awards Latinoamérica celebrates excellence in the Latin American gaming industry, gathering leading experts to acknowledge the achievements of operators, platform providers, affiliates, and suppliers across various sectors. SOFTSWISS’ ‘Help Brazil’ initiative distinguished itself among the top entries, with judges marking its focus on community sustainability and industry engagement.
Launched in May 2024, ‘Help Brazil’ provided immediate relief by delivering food, clothing, and clean water to flood-affected areas in Rio Grande do Sul in coordination with Movimento União BR. Further committed to sustainable recovery, SOFTSWISS partnered with PWTech, funding water purification installations in affected schools to guarantee long-term access to clean water.
Ivan Montik, Founder of SOFTSWISS, noted: “This prestigious award affirms our commitment to making a real difference. As we expand our business in Latin America, we build lasting relationships with people and partners in this region and see ourselves as part of the local communities. When action was needed, we could not remain on the sidelines. We are grateful that the Latin American industry recognised and supported our initiative and immensely thankful to everyone who joined us in this effort, both locally and internationally.”
Rubens Barrichello, Non-Executive Director in Latin America, who helped raise awareness for the initiative, added: “I am incredibly proud of SOFTSWISS’ commitment to a sustained and compassionate approach. This recognition underscores our dedication to supporting communities in Brazil, where we focus on making a meaningful impact. Together, with such comprehensive projects, we are demonstrating how our industry can step up when it matters most.”
Continuing its commitment to local communities, this September, SOFTSWISS and its employees provided financial aid and essential supplies to flood-affected regions in Poland, where the company operates two offices. The aid campaigns in Poland and Brazil reflect SOFTSWISS’ commitment to being a responsible partner for local communities and its broader focus on ESG principles through long-term health, environmental, and social initiatives, including World Environment Day, Pink October, and Movember.
SOFTSWISS welcomes its partners and clients to visit stand 2145 at the SiGMA Europe Summit to explore future collaboration opportunities.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
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