SharpLink Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBET) (“SharpLink” or the
“Company”) today announced recent changes to its Board of Directors
(the “Board”) and Audit Committee.
On February 16, 2024, the Board accepted the
resignation of Adrienne Anderson as a director, Chair of the Audit
Committee and member of the Compensation Committee, effective
February 16, 2024. The resignation of Anderson was not the result
of any disagreement with the Company, its management, the Board or
any committee of the Board. The Board subsequently elected Leslie
Bernhard, a current member of the Board, to serve as the new
Chairperson of the Audit Committee, effective February 16,
2024.
In addition, the Board elected Robert Gutkowski
as a new director and appointed him to serve as a member of the
Audit and Compensation Committees, effective immediately.
Over a career spanning more than five decades,
Gutkowski has proven to be a significant asset builder in the
sports, entertainment and media industries. Among his key
achievements was the landmark New York Yankees-Madison Square
Garden Network $486 million cable distribution deal. This
transaction forever changed the sports economic landscape,
increased the value of the MSG Network by nearly 2,000%, and
enabled the Yankees to dominate Major League Baseball media during
the past two decades. In addition, he was the original architect
behind radio entrepreneur Bob Sillerman’s roll-up of regional,
independent concert promoters, which created SFX Entertainment –
the first nationwide, vertically-integrated, concert promotion
company widely recognized for transforming the multi-billion dollar
live music concert industry.
From October 2014 through the present, Gutkowski
has led RMG Sports Ventures LLC, a company he founded to originate
and advise private equity and other institutional capital on
investments in sports, entertainment and media. He recently
co-originated the acquisition of True Temper Sports (the
largest producer of golf shafts in the world) for Lincolnshire
Management and made a substantial investment alongside Lincolnshire
in True Temper.
In December 1991, Gutkowski was named President
of Madison Square Garden, where he was responsible for the
operations of the New York Knicks basketball team; the New York
Rangers hockey team – which won the 1994 Stanley Cup Championship;
MSG Communications - including the MSG Network, the nation’s
largest regional cable network; MSG Entertainment and the MSG
Facilities Group, which operated The Garden Arena and The Paramount
Theater. He originally joined Madison Square Garden in 1985 and
over the next six years held various senior executive positions,
including President of the MSG Network. Under his leadership, the
subscriber base of the MSG Network – the oldest and largest
regional sports network in the country – more than doubled to 5.1
million subscribers. The Yankees, together with the New York Knicks
and the New York Rangers, became the foundations of MSG Network’s
year-round operation. In 1993 and 1994, the Garden was the most
active building in the country in bookings and revenues and was
named “Arena of the Year” by Pollstar Magazine.
In 1996, Gutkowski founded The Marquee Group, a
worldwide sports and entertainment firm that managed, produced and
marketed sports and entertainment events, as well as provided
representation for athletes, entertainers and broadcasters. The
Marquee Group, which became a public company in 1996, acquired many
related companies, including Athletes and Artists, Sports Marketing
and Television International, QBQ Entertainment, Tollin-Robbins
Productions, Park Associates, Alphabet City Records, Cambridge Golf
and ProServ, before being acquired by SFX Entertainment in 1999 for
over $100 million.
Gutkowski is a graduate of Hofstra University,
where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
Commenting on the Board changes, Rob Phythian,
Chairman and CEO of SharpLink, stated, “There are no words to
adequately express our appreciation to Adrienne for the sound and
thoughtful guidance and support she has provided our leadership
while serving as a director on the board of SharpLink Gaming, Ltd.
since July 2021. I’m also very pleased to welcome new director Bob
Gutkowski to our team. A true industry visionary renowned for his
strategic brilliance, love of sports and big league deal-making
success, Bob is an incredible addition to our Board and is a
director whose experience will undoubtedly prove invaluable to
SharpLink as we move our Company forward.”
About SharpLink Gaming,
Inc.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
SharpLink is an online performance marketing company that delivers
unique fan activation solutions to its sportsbook and casino
partners. Through its iGaming and affiliate marketing network,
known as PAS.net, SharpLink focuses on driving qualified traffic
and player acquisitions, retention and conversions to U.S.
regulated and global iGaming operator partners worldwide. In fact,
PAS.net won industry recognition as the European online gambling
industry’s Top Affiliate Website and Top Affiliate Program for four
consecutive years by both igamingbusiness.com and
igamingaffiliate.com. For more information, please visit
www.sharplink.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements
that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such
statements include statements regarding SharpLink’s ability to grow
its business and other statements that are not historical facts,
including statements which may be accompanied by the words
“intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,”
“projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,”
“potential” or similar words. Actual results could differ
materially from those described in these forward-looking statements
due to certain factors, including without limitation, SharpLink's
ability to achieve profitable operations, government regulation of
online betting, customer acceptance of new products and services,
the demand for its products and its customers' economic condition,
the impact of competitive products and pricing, the lengthy sales
cycle, proprietary rights of SharpLink and its competitors, general
economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in SharpLink’s
filings with the SEC. SharpLink does not undertake any
responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this
release.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
INVESTOR AND MEDIA RELATIONSir@sharplink.com
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