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Sharp Alpha Closes Fund II With Over $25 Million To Back Sports, Gaming, Entertainment Startups
Sharp Alpha Advisors announced the closing of Sharp Alpha Fund II, an oversubscribed $25 million venture capital fund investing in early-stage sports, gaming, and entertainment businesses.
Existing investments in Fund II include C15 Studio, which recently emerged from stealth mode as the operator and distributor of Formula 1’s new streaming channel. Previous investments include Almost Friday Media, Jackpot.com, and Betcha (acquired by Vivid Seats).
The fund targets seed investments ranging from $1 – 2 million. Sharp Alpha also operates a co-investment vehicle that provides limited partners the ability to invest additional capital in select deals alongside the fund.
Managing Partner Lloyd Danzig was recently named to Business Insider’s Top Venture Capitalists in Sports and ELG’s 40 Under 40. He is frequently featured by CNBC, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
The fund is backed by public companies, US fnancial institutions, pro sports team owners, family offces, top venture capitalists, and funds of funds, among others.
According to Danzig, there is a signifcant opportunity at the intersection of sports, gaming, media, and technology. “The competitive entertainment category is experiencing exponential growth but at the same time is desperate for innovation that early-stage companies are best positioned to supply.”
The fund has exceeded its $25 million capital raise target and expanded the size of its deal team.
Commenting on current market conditions, Danzig explained, “we are entering the most favorable period in the last 15 years to bet on great founders.”
Sharp Alpha’s advisory board includes Keith Horn, founder of Loring Capital Advisors and former COO of Elliott Management and Global Head of Leveraged Finance at Merrill Lynch; Emanuel Pearlman, the former Chairman of Empire Resorts and board member at several public companies; Daniel Bernard, Founder and Chairman of Redwood International Sports; Roy Behren, the President and Chief Investment Offcer of a $5.2 billion asset manager; and Don Kornstein, the Vice Chairman of Caesars Entertainment and former executive at numerous successful gaming companies.
In addition to investment capital, the frm provides portfolio companies with a suite of resources and opportunities spanning fundraising, revenue generation, brand awareness, commercial strategy, fnancial planning, and product development.
Anderson has served as interim CFO since May 4 as Scientific Games begins a search for a permanent finance chief.
Scientific Games said May 12 that Chief Financial Officer Nick Negro will leave the company on May 15, ending a three-year tenure. The company said Negro is departing for an opportunity based in Chicago to be closer to family.
Scientific Games has appointed Ray Anderson as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4, while it searches for a permanent CFO.
“Nick has been a strong member of our leadership team and an advocate for the potential of Scientific Games,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer for Scientific Games. “During his time with the company, he significantly strengthened our financial and procurement organizations and helped position Scientific Games for continued growth. We thank Nick for his contributions and wish him all the best.”
Anderson is a CPA with more than 30 years of global experience, including senior roles at KPMG across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he served as a Global Lead Partner advising Fortune 500 companies on audit, capital markets and regulatory strategy, and previously led KPMG’s Pacific Southwest audit practice for six years.
“Ray is a highly respected finance leader with extensive global experience advising large, complex organizations,” said McHugh. “We are confident in his ability to support the business and our Finance organization during this transition.”
The post Scientific Games CFO Nick Negro to depart May 15; Ray Anderson named interim appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Scientific Games announced today that Chief Financial Officer Nick Negro will be leaving the company on May 15 after three years of success in the role leading the company through three years of growth.
Negro is departing for an opportunity based in Chicago that allows him to be closer to family.
To ensure continuity during the transition, Scientific Games has appointed Ray Anderson as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4, as the company begins the search for a permanent CFO.
“Nick has been a strong member of our leadership team and an advocate for the potential of Scientific Games,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer for Scientific Games. “During his time with the company, he significantly strengthened our financial and procurement organizations and helped position Scientific Games for continued growth. We thank Nick for his contributions and wish him all the best.”
Anderson is a seasoned finance leader and CPA with more than 30 years of global experience, including senior leadership roles at KPMG across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he served as a Global Lead Partner, advising Fortune 500 companies on audit, capital markets and regulatory strategy, and working closely with boards and executive teams. Immediately prior to this role, he led KPMG’s Pacific Southwest audit practice for six years.
“Ray is a highly respected finance leader with extensive global experience advising large, complex organizations,” said McHugh. “We are confident in his ability to support the business and our Finance organization during this transition.”
Serving 150 lotteries in 50 countries, Scientific Games is the world’s largest lottery games company, fastest growing lottery systems provider and a leading provider of digital lottery solutions.
© 2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The post Scientific Games Announces CFO Transition appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Modernization adds Momentum ecosystem tools and rolls out new terminals and self-service machines to 1,000+ retailers statewide.
Scientific Games has completed a technology systems conversion for the New Mexico Lottery, modernizing lottery operations with a new gaming system and rolling out retail technology to more than 1,000 locations across the state. The update went live May 11, 2026, according to the company.
Scientific Games said the new system now powers the Lottery’s draw-based and Scratchers’ sales and is designed to simplify product management for retailers. The conversion also includes the launch of the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership (SGEP) instant game management program, which the company said combines analytics, logistics, retail optimization and product strategy.
“The New Mexico Lottery is officially live with new, modern technology systems that work together to enhance all aspects of our operations and ensure we are well-positioned for our next era of growth,” said David Barden, CEO of the New Mexico Lottery. “We’ve strategically planned every step of this holistic modernization effort with Scientific Games to intelligently operate our retail network, making our Scratchers games easier for retailers to manage in their stores and easily accessible to our valued players.”
Scientific Games said the conversion was developed over the past year and is built on its Momentum ecosystem. Components cited include an advanced central gaming system, the SciTrak instant game distribution system, the gem | intelligence retailer licensing and management portal and the INFUSE business intelligence platform. The company said WAVE clerk-operated terminals and PlayCentral self-service machines will be deployed to retailers in planned phases.
“Congratulations to the New Mexico Lottery for building upon our long-standing instant scratch game partnership, embracing innovation for the future,” said John Schulz, President of Americas & Global Instant Products for Scientific Games. “We are proud to serve as the Lottery’s full-line partner and help drive maximum proceeds for New Mexico college students.”
The post Scientific Games completes systems conversion for New Mexico Lottery appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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