Early February 2007 saw the celebration of a remarkable job anniversary of Ing. Josef Tupý, the first Deputy Director General and the Director of the Autonomous Implementation and Conversion Project Management Department at Sazka, a.s. He joined Sazka as of 1 February 1972, thus working for the biggest lottery company in the Czech Republic for exactly 35 years!

Josef Tupý initially worked as Evaluating and Sorting Machine Technician, and later became Head of company's Technical and Operational Section. He led the Games and Betting Division for several years. In 2005, he established the Autonomous Implementation and Conversion Project Management Department which he also leads today.

Josef Tupý has participated in all transformations that the betting and lottery industry in the Czech Republic has gone through over the last 35 years – from the off-line system and one-off sorting machines, through the advent of the on-line system, up to switching to the ES Enterprise Series central system and the state-of-the-art Altura terminals. He participated in the birth and expansion of company's non-lottery business, which includes the prepaid mobile phone top-up service; selling tickets for sporting, cultural and other events; and payments by paying-in slips, invoice and insurance premium payments.

In 1972, when Josef Tupý joined the company, it only operated the Sportka and Mates number lotteries and the Sazka betting game. In 2007, Sazka, a.s., operates a total of 35 betting and lottery games. In addition to number lotteries, it also offers instant lotteries (from 1989), odds betting (1996) or the central lottery system with interactive video lottery terminals – the StarPort product (2003). Revenues from betting and lottery activities rose from CZK 1.2 billion to CZK 7.9 billion for that period while the number of operated terminals increased from 2,200 units to the current more than 7,000 units after switching to the on-line system.

Josef Tupý is married and has two children. His greatest hobbies include sports, notably soccer, tennis, skiing and cycling.