STEPHEN CRYSTAL

Founder and CEO

Stephen A. Crystal is a 30-year veteran of the gaming industry, Crystal previously served as president and CEO of multiple casino holding and public gaming technology companies and worked as an investor and advisor on gaming project finance and merger acquisitions totaling more than $4 billion. He has served as a licensed president, owner and operator of four casinos in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. His full biographical and career details are available at his personal website, http://stephenacrystalesq.com.

KELLY SEGOVIA

Partner / CTO

Kelly Segovia has over twenty-five years of experience in the casino gaming industry, in gaming operations, loyalty marketing, player development and enterprise technology. He has worked in all major gaming jurisdictions in the United States, Asia and Europe.

Kelly has specific focus in the discipline of change management, planning and executing the way transformational enterprise IT solutions touch operations, employees and customers, in order to achieve a successful outcome for all parties.

Additionally, Kelly has over twelve years of experience in the design, development, and implementation of complex integrated enterprise loyalty marketing technology, across all channels.

Mark Stebbings

Chairman of the SCCG Global Advisory Board

Mark Stebbings is a distinguished figure in the gambling industry, renowned for his strategic vision and leadership. Over his nearly thirty-year tenure at Betfred, he was instrumental in propelling the company's growth and expansion into new international markets, including noteworthy inroads into the U.S. states of Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, Virginia, Nevada, and Maryland. Starting as a shop manager in the UK, Mark's dedication and expertise saw him ascend to the role of Group Chief Operating Officer, where he played a crucial role in Betfred's ascension as a gambling powerhouse. Under the mentorship of industry stalwart Fred Done, Mark's journey reflects a remarkable arc of professional development and impact.

Dave Antony

CFO, SCCG Management

Fund Director, SCCG Venture Fund

Business professional with diverse industry and financial experience. Expertise in growing businesses in industries as diverse as esports, gaming, technology, and natural resources. Have made significant, accretive acquisitions and divestments over career. Have been involved in total capital raises of over $750M for various organizations.

Have developed effective corporate structures in growing organizations by applying strong integrity and leadership skills. Built teams from start up to fully operational and transitioned teams through mergers.

Peter Kula

VP Global Strategy

Since 2014, Peter has been a pivotal figure in the regulated gaming sector, adeptly handling roles in both physical and digital realms. His journey includes forming and executing various agreements with a range of industry players like commercial operators and social casino developers. Peter's expertise in the Post-PASPA gaming landscape is evident from his influential work at Amazon's Appstore and Devices Division, Sightline Payments, Caesars Digital/William Hill, and Caesars Entertainment. At Amazon, he was instrumental in forming strategic partnerships and developing monetization strategies. Before Amazon, as the Director of Partnerships and Business Development at Sightline Payments, he contributed significantly to the company's growth in cashless gaming and client management.

NICK GIANGRECO

VP MARKETING

Nick Giangreco is an emerging talent in the sports betting industry who founded the mobile app, CliquePicks. Serving as the Head of Marketing at SCCG, Nick spearheads collaborative efforts with over 100 SCCG Client-Partners, which include notable organizations such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Betfred, and Hendrick Motor Sports. In addition to his US responsibilities, Nick actively engages with SCCG's international directors across Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, solidifying global connections and fostering strategic alliances.

George vonapartis

Head of Global Sales

30+ years experience in the Gaming, Telecommunications and Defense industries with the majority of them in Business Development, Accounts’ Management and Technical Sales.

- Existing industry relationships and direct client-facing experience in the Gaming vertical

- The ability to implement corporate policies, procedures, resourcing, organizational structure, effective and efficient communication and operations

- The capacity to manage company operations by directing and coordinating activities consistent with established goals, objectives, and policies

Specialties: Business Development, Major Accounts Management, Program Management in Information Technology and Telecommunications

Bobby Sophabmixay

Director of Esports and Tribal Gaming

Bobby brings over 10 years of expertise in the Video Games and Esports industry, focusing on US Esports and Gambling consulting. His skill set encompasses Marketing, Events, Operations, Compliance, Regulatory issues, and Tribal Gaming. With a deep understanding of the industry's intricacies, Bobby excels at developing strategic marketing initiatives, managing events, optimizing operations, and ensuring regulatory compliance, including tribal gaming challenges.

Passionate about Esports, Bobby is keen on fostering connections within the industry and is open to collaborations and discussions on Esports opportunities. His broad experience and enthusiasm make him an invaluable resource for organizations aiming to navigate the complexities of the gaming world.

Scott Butera

Advisory Board Member

Scott Butera is best known for his decades of executive experience in the gaming and hospitality industry, with an impeccable resume serving as CEO and President for some of the largest casinos in the world. This list includes, Former President, CEO and Executive Vice President at Trump Entertainment Resorts, Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, CEO at Tropicana Entertainment (2008–2011) and CEO at Foxwoods Resort Casino (2011–2013). At Tropicana, he engineered the casino's emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Butera was also the commissioner of the Arena Football League (AFL) from September 2014 to March 2018.

His financial background includes 20 years as an investment banker at UBS Investment Bank, Credit Suisse First Boston, Smith Barney and Bear Stearns & Co. where he concentrated his efforts on analysis and client service for companies in the real estate, lodging, gaming and leisure industries.

Before joining Fubo Gaming, Butera was president of Interactive Gaming at MGM Resorts International, where he was responsible for the development and operations of sports betting and online gaming across online and traditional platforms.

Butera earned a B.A. in economics from Trinity. He went on to earn an M.A. and an M.B.A. from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He also has been a member of Trinity’s Board of Fellows.  

Matt Di Giorgio

Director of gaming talent recruitment

Matt Di Giorgio has over 20 years of executive experience with a strong focus on Human Resources. He worked for Michael Page International as a top billing consultant and manager in his early career and more recently has become the 'go-to' search consultant for a number of established and new entrants to the broad gaming ecosystem. He also services some of the up-and-coming technology businesses in Silicon Valley. In this role, Di Giorgio will be leading the firm’s practice in the category of Gaming Talent Recruitment.

In this role, Di Giorgio is primarily focused on executive searches at VP level and above, whether that be in the product, marketing, IT, finance or HR disciplines. He will oversee all projects personally, with the support of an established research team and all the latest candidate attraction tools and technologies.

LARRY EVERLING

DIGITAL MARKETING ADVISOR

Larry is a marketing and business development executive focused on the convergence of sports betting, e-sports, i-gaming and media. He has a deep understanding of the state-by-state regulatory requirements for legalized sports betting as well as customer lifetime value strategies covering cost per acquisition, average revenue per customer, retention/upsell and churn. Larry was a founder of SportAD and most recently a strategic advisor for several firms in the US betting marketplace: OddsChecker, Playmaker, Fade The Noise, BetFred, PlayStar and Betr. Larry is a graduate of Georgetown University and lives in Potomac, MD.

JOSEPH VALANDRA

United States Tribal Gaming and Technology

Joseph Valandra is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. Joe has over 25 years of business experience including an extensive background in capital formation as well as managing public, private, and government operations. He is a leading expert in the area of Class II Tribal gaming. Joe served for two years as the Chief of Staff of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) in Washington, DC. Prior to joining the NIGC, Joe held executive positions with a gaming development company and was the Chairman & CEO of a large worldwide manufacturer and supplier of bingo and pull-tab gaming products and related electronic equipment. Using his collective experiences in government, business and gaming, Joe founded Lunatic Games – a company uniquely focused on the technological development, marketing, and legal deployment of a full suite of Class II, i-Gaming products and services designed to benefit sovereign Indian nations and other affiliate partners. He additionally took a lead role in shaping and launching Great Luck, LLC. Great Luck is the first technology in the world that can be accessed from any location through a browser-based gateway to a virtual private network (VPN); the VPN connection then allows the user to engage a proxy to play fully regulated games for money.  Along with these technology ventures, Joe is the Managing Director of VAdvisors, LLC a specialty advisory firm in McLean, VA. VAdvisors provides consulting services and advice in the following areas: strategic planning, capital development, mergers & acquisitions, crisis management, growth planning, new product development, operational evaluations. The firm also specializes in the areas of American Indian policy and issues focusing primarily on Tribal Government Gaming and related business issues. Joe is a graduate of the University of South Dakota Business School and the University of Minnesota Law School.

Rosa Ochoa

Director - Mexico and Latin America

Rosa Ochoa has more than 20 years of experience developing business plans and client relationships, managing project execution and leading local operations for the most prominent international gaming and lottery companies.

Throughout her professional career she has created strategies to position diverse products and services in gaming, technology, education and entertainment, generating B2B/ B2C opportunities. Rosa is also a certified coach and passionate about generating content for digital media.

She is also an active member in the community serving as board secretary and volunteer in Junior League of Mexico City.

Kisset Chirengende

Director - Africa

Kisset Chirengende has been a pinnacle figure in the promotion and development of rugby matches around the world. He is the founder of Kyros Sports, a sports marketing agency that has been responsible for setting up high-level international matches and Super League matches in Zimbabwe and South Africa.  He is the director of the Beast Foundation, the non-profit organization represented by legendary South African Springboks player, Tendai Mtawarira. And he is now the co-founder of the sports analytics company, Athstat. We spoke about his origins, developing rugby with sports marketing, and his foray into the tech industry. 

Pariekshit Maadishetti

Director - India

Pariekshit Maadishetti is the Founder of Gridlogic. Headquartered in India, Gridlogic is one of the fastest growing groups with diversified interests across various sectors including media and hospitality apart from gaming.

Pariekshit previously has been a part of many successful ventures and advises various startup companies and products in one of the multiple roles as investors, board member and mentor.

Pariekshit played a significant role in getting B2B space active for rummy in India with TJN (Taj Network), which is Gridlogic’s skill games platform with award winning brands which are unique and have custom branding. Most importantly this helps maintain the liquidity needed to operate successfully.

DAVID HANLON

Global Gaming and Hospitality Operations, and Technology

SCCG Venture Fund I - General Partner

Dave is a graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Following his time as an Officer in the US Army, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with an MBA in Finance and a MS in Accounting. He later attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He started his career at the investment banking firm of Smith Barney & Company. He later joined Fluor Corporation where he was responsible for financing international petrochemical and refinery projects. He then joined Caesars World, Inc. where he served six years; first as Chief Financial Officer and later as Executive Vice President. Following Caesars, he joined Harrah’s in Atlantic City as President. From Harrah’s he became Chief Executive Officer at Merv Griffin’s Resorts International in Atlantic City and the Bahamas. After his period as President and CEO of International Game Technology, he joined Rio Suites Hotel in Las Vegas as President and Chief Operating Officer. For five years, he served as Chief Executive Officer at Empire Resorts, Inc. in Monticello, New York. Later he became a developer and consultant to various gaming, hospitality, technology and entertainment companies. Over the years, he has held a number of outside interests including serving as Executive in Residence and a member of the Industry Advisory Committee at the Cornell Hotel School. He was also a three term member of the Cornell University Council, and a Director of the Cornell Football Association. He also served as an Advisor to the Wharton Entrepreneurial Program.

PIERRE CADENA

Strategic Business Development, M&A

SCCG Venture Fund I - General Partner

In the past six years, Pierre has helped position for sale several digital media and gaming companies each valued at more than $1 billion—first with Playtika in 2016, then with Otter Media in 2018, and finally with Crunchyroll in 2021.  Pierre is a strategist, deal maker, and operator with nearly two decades of investment banking, gaming, media, and film and television experience.  

He was most recently Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Crunchyroll, the world’s largest streaming video company for anime — previously owned by WarnerMedia and now by Sony Pictures Entertainment.  

Prior to working at Crunchyroll, Pierre was Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Caesars Interactive Entertainment, where he helped build one of the world’s largest social and mobile games companies, Playtika, through M&A and launched several real-money online gaming brands and services in the U.S.  

Pierre specialized in M&A and leveraged finance having worked in New York and London for JPMorgan, Bank of America, and several European institutions earlier in his career. 

Michael Silberling

Gaming Operations

Michael Silberling is a casino executive who has enjoyed a career in casino entertainment & resort operations spanning over 25 years. After gaining his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, he started as a management trainee at Harrah's Entertainment. Successive promotions and domestic and regional assignments led to Silberling's appointment to Managing Director for London Clubs International and President of International Operations for Caesars Entertainment Corporation from 2008 to 2014 and most recently from 2014-2018, as Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Gaming, LLC, where he contributed to several years of significant growth. At London Clubs International (LCI) in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2014, Silberling was responsible for approximately 15 casinos across Europe, Middle East, and Africa and was a part of opening casinos in Cairo, Glasgow, and Leeds. As Chief Operating Officer of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE), Silberling's multitude of skills & experiences were deployed across the flagship property, Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, as well as Mohegan Sun Pocono in Pennsylvania, Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, ilani in Washington, Paragon Casino Resorts in Louisiana, Casino Niagara & Fallsview Casino in Ontario, Canada.

Randall Sayre

Gaming Operations and Compliance

Mr. Sayre was appointed to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, January 2007 after his appointment as Chief of the Investigations Division in 1990. Prior to his work on the Gaming Control Board, Mr. Sayre served 5½ years on active duty in the U.S. Army, retiring June 2006 from the Nevada National Guard, at the rank of Brigadier General. Mr. Sayre graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, with a BA in Criminal Justice in 1975, and a Masters in Public Administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, in 1980.

LOU D’AMICO

Retail and Online Sports Wagering and Media

Lou D’Amico is a Las Vegas race and sports book legend, providing decades of senior leadership for flagship race and sports operations such as the Las Vegas Hilton, Caesars Palace, Barrick Gaming Corporation, PlayLV Gaming Corporation and Cantor Gaming. Lou has taken his expertise to media, starring on Velocity TV’s show, “The Linemakers”, co-hosting the weekly radio show, “Bad Beat of the Week” on KSHP Radio. Lou is also credited as Associate Producer on the television documentary, “Cash is King in Vegas”, a documentary about old Las Vegas and organized crime. Mr. D’Amico also lends his expertise to LEET, Inc., an information and data provider as an advisor on esports.

TONY NAUGHTON

Sports Wagering and iGaming

Tony Naughton has worked in the gambling industry for 27 years, initially in retail and then progressing into senior and managerial positions within the online sector. He has set up trading offices in both Europe and Asia. Naughton’s key strengths are managing and developing staff, problem solving and identifying areas of potential growth. In his most recent position as Operations Director, for a major European Sportsbook, he oversaw a trading department turning over more than $50 million on a monthly basis and achieving an 8% profit margin. During Tony’s previous experience, he has assisted world leading football betting syndicates in recording and maintaining profit. Through his experience, Naughton maintains strong business relationships in the industry across the world, namely Africa, America, Australia, Europe and Asia.

BRUCE BUNDRANT

Sports Marketing

Bruce is a globally recognized leader in sports marketing with an impressive track record, including consulting major brands on their sponsorship strategies as well as senior roles at Liverpool FC, AS Monaco FC and the International Champions Cup where he led the commercial transformation of these businesses.

Bruce has worked across multiple sports and sports properties including soccer, Formula One, Formula E, NASCAR, MLB, NBA, NHL, tennis and the Olympic Games.

Two years ago he established Riviera Sports Marketing to deploy his experience and help US and European sports & entertainment companies to improve their market penetration, operational effectiveness and revenue generation.