Betting technology supplier Sportech has announced a number of changes to the senior team at its Bump 50:50 charitable raffle division, including the appointment of Dave Kurland as its new president.
Kurland joined Bump in 2011 as its director of business development, a role in which he helped the business grow one client in 2011 to over 120.
Prior to joining Bump, Kurland spent 22 years leading the community relations department and team foundation for NBA franchise the Chicago Bulls, where he helped develop the first 50/50 raffle for a professional US sports team.
Meanwhile, Dennis Sampier has been named as vice present of the Bump non-profit division, where he will spearhead the expansion of its non-sports related charity clients.
Sampier also has a background in the NBA, having spent 20 years at the Detroit Pistons, heading up the team’s social responsibility platform.
Elsewhere, Jeff Schultz has been appointed as vice president of the Bump sports division, a role in which he will focus on delivering platforms and services for in-stadia and web-based 50/50 raffles.
Prior to joining Bump in 2015, Schultz spent 17 years at the Chicago Bulls, where he also had a role in developing and launching the team’s raffle platform.
In addition, Chris Mallory will move into the role of Bump’s director of business development and activation, following spells with NBA team the Phoenix Suns and NFL franchise the Las Vegas Raiders
“We are delighted to strengthen our Bump 50:50 team with an unmatched group of specialists who, combined, bring decades of direct experience in the sports, raffle and non-profit fundraising sector,” Sportech chief executive Richard McGuire said.
“This team have been pivotal to the growth of Bump. Their dedication to client service and product innovation aligned with the highest level of integrity continues to deliver impressive results and stronger relationships.”
The appointments come after Sportech last week revealed that efforts to reduce operational costs in the first half of its fiscal year helped to partially offset a “severe” decline in revenue, caused by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis.
Sportech said it had been trading in line with expectations during the first three months of the year, but as the Covid-19 crisis became more widespread in Q2, it was forced to take action in order to manage its cost base, lower spending and effectively manage cash.
As a result of these actions, Sportech said it expects to have net cash amounting to £8.9m (€9.7m/$10.9m) at the end of June 2020, higher than the £7.5m that its board had initially stated in a trading update issued in mid-March.