Company’s SG Tech Project and Women’s STEAM Careers Mentorship Volunteerism Earn Global Recognition

Scientific Games was recognized with two 2025 Communitas Awards for its impactful community service programs. With a company mission focused on serving communities worldwide, Scientific Games helps government-regulated lotteries generate tens of billions of dollars annually to fund their good cause programs, including health and welfare, education and environmental initiatives.

The global lottery company won both 2025 Communitas Awards in the category of Excellence in Community Service for the SG Tech Project and Women’s STEAM Careers Mentorship Volunteerism.

The Communitas Awards is a global initiative that honors outstanding businesses, organizations and individuals who generously share their time and resources. The awards also celebrate those who are transforming their business practices to have a positive impact on their communities.

2025 Communitas Excellence in Community Service – Organization’s Program: The SG Tech Project is a testament to Scientific Games’ dedication to environmental sustainability and education. Through the initiative, the company donates gently used, refurbished technology to local schools. The program provides local K-12 schools and after-school programs with essential technology tools for the classroom. SG Tech Project aligns with Scientific Games’ global environmental sustainability efforts by extending the life cycle of electronic devices and reducing e-waste. The donation is traditionally made on Earth Day each year in April.

2025 Communitas Excellence in Community Service – Company Volunteer Project: One of Scientific Games’ community initiatives is in partnership with Tech Alpharetta Women’s Forum STEAM Mentoring Program, designed to inspire and support young women interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics careers. The program, coordinated by Tech Alpharetta—a local association serving tech companies and professionals through educational programs—in partnership with the STEAM magnet high school Innovation Academy, pairs high school girls with experienced female professionals in STEAM fields. Throughout the academic year, through regular meetings and events, Scientific Games volunteer mentors Danielle Hodges (Senior Director, Instant Product Innovation), Hetal Suratwala (Director, Digital Client Operations) and Jennifer Ingram (Senior Director, Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership Operations) offer professional guidance and encouragement as students navigate their STEAM-focused academic and career paths.

“Receiving the Communitas Awards is a powerful reminder of our commitment to the communities we serve,” said Scientific Games CEO Pat McHugh. “Through initiatives like the SG Tech Project and our executive participation in a mentorship program for young women considering STEAM careers, we aim to empower and uplift those in our local community. We believe that by investing in education technology, the STEAM workforce of the future and environmental sustainability, we can make a lasting impact.”

With global operations spanning five continents, Scientific Games is the world’s largest creator, producer and manager of lottery games and a global leader in lottery and sports betting technology systems, digital lottery games, mobile apps and player loyalty programs. The company provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries around the globe.

SOFTSWISS and Rubens Barrichello are launching an exclusive collaboration with the iconic motorsport brand Sparco. The limited-edition collection was revealed at the SiGMA Americas Summit in São Paulo.

Founded in 1977, Sparco aimed to bring more safety and fashion to motorsport. Over the decades, the brand has become synonymous with high-quality racing gear, reflecting its commitment to technology, innovation, and style. Today, Sparco is a globally recognised leader in motorsport apparel and equipment, trusted by professional drivers and racing enthusiasts. 

Inspired by Rubens Barrichello’s remarkable racing career, the new Sparco casual-style collection brings together the worlds of motorsport and technology. It is a reminder that real success, whether on a race circuit or in the office, starts with daring to push beyond the limits.

Rubens Barrichello, Non-Executive Director in Latin America at SOFTSWISS, commented: “Sparco was with me at every turn. It’s not just a logo – it’s a symbol of reliability proven by speed. I’m proud to be working with the brand that supported me throughout my career – now in a new format”. 

One standout feature of the collection is the number 111. It is instantly recognisable to Barrichello’s fans, as he celebrated numerous racing victories with it on board. Alongside this numeric design element, every item also features Rubens’ personal autograph.

The Office of Sparco Brazil commented: “In Brazil, motorsport isn’t just a sport – it’s part of our cultural DNA. Having a driver like Rubens Barrichello is a point of national pride. This collaboration is our way of capturing the energy that lives on the racetracks of São Paulo. It’s a story of speed, pride, and a uniquely Brazilian spirit”.

Visitors can book a meeting with the SOFTSWISS team until April 10 using this link.

About SOFTSWISS

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SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience 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 27,800 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 counts over 2,000 employees.

The phrase “drive for show, putt for dough” is a long-standing mantra in golf that emphasises the importance of putting over driving – specifically driving distance – in winning golf tournaments. But is it true?

While the saying has a clear implication, modern data from professional golf paints a more complex picture.   Using the Shots Gained (SG) metric we can compare different parts of a player’s game to see if there really is a formula for winning.

Driving test

Using shot data gained from datagolf.com we can compare the top players in the world (according to the Official World Golf Ranking) over the last 12 months.

Comparing “shots gained off the tee” with “shots gained putting” seems to turn the myth on its head – the top players gain a higher proportion of their shots off the tee than from putting.  For players ranked in the Top 10, nearly 0.8 shots are gained from driving as opposed to around 0.3 for putting.  Whilst the differential narrows as the players’ ranking decreases, for players ranked 90 – 100, driving still gains more than 0.2 shots more putting.

This ability to reliably gain strokes through driving gives top pros an edge, setting them up for better scoring opportunities throughout a tournament. Over a whole season, this advantage compounds and allows them to stay at the top of the leaderboards.

The long and the short

However, since “shots gained off the tee” includes par 4 and 5s, the metric is not necessarily just a measure of the importance of driving distance, but also a measure of accuracy.  So, whilst driving matters, is it the distance or the trajectory that is most advantageous for winning tournaments?

Again, using the top ranked players, it appears that distance stands out as a key factor for success, with Top 10 players on average gaining nearly 10 yards per drive compared with those outside the Top 100 throughout the year. This extra yardage translates into shorter approaches and better chances to attack pins throughout the season.

These findings are corroborated by Mark Broadie in his 2014 book Every Shot Counts, where he shows that for professionals, an extra 20 yards of driving distance is worth about three-quarters of a stroke per round.   Relatively speaking, for the rest of us amateur golfers, driving distance becomes even more important for scoring than driving accuracy.

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Putt to the test

While driving distance provides the groundwork for long term success – and is a characteristic that all the Top 10 players seemingly must possess – it doesn’t necessarily “bust the myth” that putting is more important for winning tournaments.  Indeed, looking more deeply into the metrics for the outcome of individual tournaments uncovers the fact that putting becomes more instrumental for who comes out on top.

If we look instead at the finish positions in PGA events over the last 12 months, rather than the World Ranking, putting comes to the fore.  For players finishing first, putting gained an average of 1.2 shots versus a gain of 0.7 for driving.  Even for players finishing 30^th – 35^th, putting is worth more than 0.4 of a shot on average compared to driving. The fact that top finishers in a given event typically post higher gains from putting rather than from driving underscores the vital role of putting during tournament play where players have to capitalize on scoring opportunities and avoid mistakes on the green to win.

The outcome

Fundamentally the relationship between driving and putting reveals a balanced formula for success. Driving creates opportunities and contributes to consistency while putting often decides who makes the best of those opportunities and ultimately wins on a given weekend. In a game of ever-increasing competition and precision, power and finesse must work together to elevate players to the pinnacle of the sport.

With all the attention on these extremes of golf, other aspects are often overlooked. Completing the same analyses and including shots gained for “approach” and “around the green” makes it clear that there is one area that consistently contributes to wins and ranking, making it arguably the most important aspect of a players golf game.