About VIP Play
VIP Play is an AI-powered sports engagement platform that helps sports teams, leagues, events, brands, and sponsors transform passive spectators into active participants.
We build engagement experiences around what drives fandom: identity, belonging, competition, community, and participation — helping organizations create stronger fan relationships before, during, and after the event.
Leadership Team
Meet the team building VIP Play’s next generation of sports engagement technology. Our leadership brings experience across technology, gaming, hospitality, innovation, revenue strategy, and fan engagement — combining deep industry expertise with a shared focus on how AI and participation can reshape the sports fan experience.
Les Ottolenghi
Chief Executive Officer
- 25+ years in gaming industry
- MBA Emory University, BA Duke University
- Upcoming Conferences
- August 13, 2025 AI4 Keynote Speaker
- October 21, 2025 Chief AI Officer Exchange Keynote Speaker
Jacob Shrader
Chief Experience Officer
- 5+ years in sports betting and wagering
- BA Tufts University - Economics
- Key Achievements
- Created first-ever “Fortnite Power Rankings” on ESTNN.com using an analytical framework in early 2018
- Pioneered the first “VIP Players Club Sweepstakes” at VIP Play, resulting in over 300% month-over-month in wagering activity.
John Dermody
Chief Transformation & Revenue Officer
- 20+ years in finance and trasnformational strategies
- BA Louisiana State University
- Career Achievements
- Created award-winning inaugural TBM methodology and ServiceNow/ITIL frameworks for delivering business analytics to drive standardization, impacting business results and shareholder value.
- Realized multimillion-dollar cost savings by partnering with McKinsey to restructure organization and audit processes for procurement and approving contracts.
Fernando Goldstein
Chief Technology Officer
- 20+ years in technology and business
- University of Haifa
- Key Achievements
- Designed and implemented a gold supply chain and gold-based token on blockchain
- Created a payment gateway for Western Union's internal use to optimize best price selection and normalize all payments into one common interface
Robert Rippee, Ph.D.
Interim CMO
- 30+ years in gaming and hospitality
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) , Hospitality Administration. Qualitative Research. Applied Research. Innovation, UNLV
- Career Achievements
- Lead the development of Black Fire Innovation and the UNLV Incubator powered by Hughes Center—each now recognized nationally for advancing university-led entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and industry engagement.
- As Director of both the Hospitality Innovation Lab and the Esports Innovation Lab at the International Gaming Institute, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, I led multidisciplinary, project-based initiatives that positioned students as co-creators in the innovation process.
Robert Rippee, Ph.D.
Interim CMO & Advisor
- 30+ years in gaming and hospitality
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) , Hospitality Administration. Qualitative Research. Applied Research. Innovation, UNLV
Tony Discroll
Advisor
Jim Mackey
Advisor
Our Leadership Philosophy
Our leadership is united around a shared vision: building the next generation of sports engagement through participation, innovation, and community.
Fan First
We start with what makes fandom powerful — identity, belonging, rivalry, competition, and community — and build experiences that turn those connections into active participation.
Innovation Driven
We use AI, behavioral intelligence, and emerging technology to create new ways for fans to participate, connect, and engage with the teams, events, and brands they care about.
Participation Focused
We build experiences designed to keep communities engaged before, during, and after the moments that bring fans together.