Sportech PLC is pleased to announce key changes to its Bump 50:50 team, including the promotion of Dave Kurland to the position of President, to create the charitable raffle industry’s most experienced and innovative leadership team.

Bump 50:50 (“Bump”) is a leading provider of digital fundraising raffle solutions to philanthropic organizations with clients across the US and Canada, many affiliated with professional sports franchises. Bump also enjoys a rapidly-growing list of nonprofit clients in healthcare, the arts and human services.

Dave Kurland joined Bump in 2011 as its first Director of Business Development. Dave’s deep roots in professional sports, philanthropy and fundraising raffles greatly informed the design and execution of Bump’s successful growth strategy, helping the company grow from just one client in 2011 to over 120 today. For 22 years prior to joining Bump, Dave led the Community Relations Department and team foundation for the Chicago Bulls and in 1995 helped develop the first 50/50 raffle for a professional US sports team, raising tens of millions to support charitable causes in the Chicago area.

The Company also announced the elevation of key commercial team members to senior roles to align with Bump’s growth and online raffle expansion strategy.

Dennis Sampier has been named Vice President, Bump Nonprofit Division to spearhead the continued growth of Bump’s non-sports related charity clients. Bump has recorded significant  growth in its nonprofit client base, delivering solutions to over twenty additional nonprofit clients for Bump’s online 50/50 and progressive raffle platforms in the last few months.

Dennis spent 20 years with the Detroit Pistons, where he oversaw their social responsibility platform. He led community programming and fundraising, collaborating with nonprofits in metro Detroit and across Michigan to develop innovative partnerships in support of health, education, basic needs, and volunteerism. To help generate additional funding and awareness for nonprofits, he was pivotal in introducing the electronic 50/50 raffle concept to the broader Detroit sports market, including the Tigers, Red Wings, Lions and Michigan International Speedway, all of which are now Bump clients. Dennis has been with Bump since 2015.

Jeff Schultz has been named Vice President, Bump Sports Division. In this role, Jeff will maintain the company’s focus on delivering innovative platforms and unmatched services for in-stadia and web-based 50/50 raffles that have produced record-setting jackpots for clients. Jeff is an experienced and talented sports industry veteran who, prior to joining Bump in 2015, spent 17 years with the Chicago Bulls, playing a key role in driving their successful raffle platform.

Rounding out the commercial team, Bump welcomes Chris Mallory as Director of Business Development and Activation. Chris brings 17 years’ experience working in the professional sports industry; 14 years with the NBA® Phoenix Suns and three with the NFL® Las Vegas Raiders.

The changes to Bump’s commercial team complement enhancements made on the technology side with the 2019 appointment of Bump CTO Matt Annis. Matt is one of the original architects of the GLI-31 Electronic Raffle Systems Technical Standard and his years of experience in raffle technology, including 20 years in software development and 7 years in 50/50 raffles, along with his track record of innovation and strategic planning, have placed Bump on a strong technological footing.

Richard McGuire, Chief Executive Officer of Sportech PLC, stated, “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 nonprofit fundraising sector. 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.”

“Sportech continues to invest in Bump’s talent, technology and infrastructure and as a result the division is recording unparalleled client growth, particularly online and with nonprofit organizations. I can think of no stronger professional than Dave Kurland to lead the division and of no greater commercial and technical team of dedicated professionals to propel Bump 50:50 forward.”

Sportech Racing and Digital, a division of Sportech PLC, is pleased to have once again delivered the international technology connectivity behind the UK Tote Group’s Tote Superpool at Royal Ascot.

Following on from the 2019 World Pool, the 2020 Tote Superpool was powered by Sportech’s Quantum™ System, the world’s most widely deployed pari-mutuel betting system, and supported with hosting and operational services from Sportech.

The Tote Superpool combined the betting pools on Royal Ascot races generated by UK Tote Group with tote betting from global outlets and the Royal Ascot pools hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Despite no on-track contribution to the pools as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 Tote Superpool generated £137 million in handle, up from £92 million in 2019. This year, Sportech facilitated the expansion of Superpools to all 36 races.

Sportech are proud to have once again provided the international pool connectivity and operational services to support the Tote Superpool and to assist our clients in forging valuable global connections between international commingling partners.

Sportech’s Bump 50:50 (“Bump”) is thrilled to announce that its first deployment of the Catch the Ace online progressive jackpot raffle (also sometimes known in the US as a “Queen of Hearts’ raffle) hit a major milestone in June, topping CN$1 Million in gross sales after just 20 weeks online.

Building upon the success of this first digital raffle,  Bump 50:50 has also just launched a similar progressive raffle in partnership with the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation at BlackhawksQOH.com, with the first weekly drawing to be held on Sunday, June 21, 2020.

Bump’s innovative Catch the Ace / Queen of Hearts raffle offers a unique opportunity for participants to win both a weekly prize and a progressive jackpot that accumulates week over week through Bump’s proven online fundraising platform.

Each week, a portion of charitable raffle ticket sales is set aside in a separate Catch the Ace / Queen of Heartsjackpot. Players choose from a virtual deck of cards an envelope that they think might contain the Ace of Spades or Queen of Hearts card. The winner who draws the designated card collects the progressive jackpot. If the designated card isn’t drawn, the entire progressive jackpot carries over to the next week.

With each weekly draw that does not result in a win, the virtual deck of cards is reduced by one so the odds of winning increase even as the jackpot grows. Best of all, fifty percent of all progressive raffle ticket sales goes to Bump’s partner charity.

Online 50/50 and progressive Catch the Ace / Queen of Hearts raffles are important new tools in the fundraiser’s toolkit when combined with Bump’s proven technologies and unparalleled support programs.

Dave Kurland, Senior Director of Business Development and Operations for Bump 50:50, remarked, “Our goal at Bump since our inception has been to offer our partners innovations that help them achieve their fundraising goals and fulfil their charitable missions. We were delighted to have launched the first-ever online Catch the Ace and we are over the moon that Bump 50:50 has helped our first Catch the Ace partner reach $1 million in ticket sales just a few months after launch. We are looking forward to helping more clients, including the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation, reach their fundraising goals through these innovations.”

Following the success of its initial online progressive Catch the Ace / Queen of Hearts raffle, Bump is delivering more ground-breaking fundraising platforms to charitable foundations across Canada and the United States, with charities in Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Arizona poised to launch their own versions of the online progressive raffles in the coming weeks.

Sportech Racing and Digital is pleased to announce the successful launch of commingled betting from the UK into the French pari-mutuel pools hosted by French gaming operator ZeTurf.

Through its partnership with Sportech, ZeTurf offers an alternative and attractive option for betting on French racing.

Bruno Gay, Vice President Sales and Business Development EMEA for Sportech, remarked, “Sportech is very pleased to facilitate further connection between our global clients – in this case between the UK and ZeTurf of France – and to provide yet another key global commingling interface stream that further reinforces our strategic partnership with ZeTurf.”

With continued growth in new Catch the Ace raffle variation.

Sportech’s Bump 50:50 continues its push into the non-sports charitable market with the acquisition of an additional eight charitable organization clients over the last month.

Bump 50:50 will deliver online 50/50 raffles, including five deployments of its new Catch the Ace raffle, to charitable organizations working in health care, medical research, social services, the arts, and animal welfare.

The signing of eight new contracts for online raffles in a single month signals that charitable organizations are looking to innovative ways to raise funds for their charitable missions as the world battles COVID-19.

Dave Kurland, Director of Business Development & Operations for Bump 50:50, commented, “While opportunities for traditional fundraising are greatly curtailed, there remains an unprecedented need for resources to assist communities in this difficult time, so it’s gratifying for Bump 50:50 to be able to provide our clients with engaging platforms that allow them to stay in touch with donors and continue to raise funds for their missions.”

To learn more about Bump 50:50’s online raffle solution, visit www.sportech.net.

Sportech Racing and Digital is pleased to announce that it successfully launched Tote betting services at the Central Moscow Hippodrome for client Pari Engineering Rus.

Tote betting on live races held at the historic Moscow racetrack is now powered by Sportech’s Quantum™ System Software, with operational services delivered from our Global Quantum™ Data and Operations Centre in Europe.

Prior to launching Tote services for live racing, Sportech provided Tote betting technology and services to Pari Engineering Rus for the operation of their OTB locations and for commingling into international pools.

Bruno Gay, Vice President Sales and Business Development EMEA for Sportech, commented, “Sportech is very pleased to have helped our client Pari Engineering Rus successfully extend their Tote betting operation to the racetrack. We look forward to working closely with Pari Engineering to increase consumer engagement with Tote betting in Russia through Quantum™ System’s flexible omni-channel solution.

Bump 50:50, a division of Sportech Racing and Digital, is proud to supply the technology that will power a state-wide digital raffle organized by Arizona’s top sports properties to raise funds for the Arizona Together Coronavirus Relief Fund.

Launched on May 4^th, the raffle website offers Arizona residents VIP experiences with the purchase of raffle tickets. Proceeds will be donated to the AZ Coronavirus Relief Fund, which provides financial support to organizations working to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Arizona.

Participating organizations include the Arizona Bowl, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Coyotes, Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona State Athletics, University of Arizona Athletics, Cactus Bowl, Cactus League, PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl, Grand Canyon University Athletics, Northern Arizona University Athletics, Phoenix Mercury, Phoenix Raceway, Phoenix Rising, Phoenix Suns, Scottsdale Charros and Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Residents of Arizona purchase raffle tickets at AZSportsTogether.com for an opportunity to win prize packs that include once-in-a-lifetime experiences like premium game tickets, VIP perks, player meet-and-greets, autographed memorabilia and more. The raffle will continue through May 26^th at 5 PM Pacific Time.

Dan Tanenbaum, President of Bump 50:50, commented, “Bump 50:50 is very happy to deliver a raffle platform that can go beyond the standard 50/50 raffle, especially at a time when there is such profound need. We are very proud of our employees who came together in a time of great stress to deliver this important platform and we congratulate the 17 Arizona sports organizations that united to create this special fund.”

Sportech’s team at Winners in Connecticut are now publishing a Global Racing Schedule, compiling available information to help our customers and clients keep up with global racing activity as we work through a calendar significantly altered by COVID-19.

The information is presented on the MyWinners.com website as a web page or downloadable PDF and can be accessed without a MyWinners betting account.

All are welcome to bookmark the MyWinners website’s new Status Update page to access the most current information available. The list is updated daily or as new information becomes available.