Industry News
Betr Raises $35M in Series A2 at $300M Pre-money Valuation
Betr Holdings Inc. announced its $35M Series A2 round of financing valuing the company at $300M pre-money. The Company held a set of initial closings for its Series A2 round of financing in Q2 and is scheduled to conduct a final closing in Q3. The round is co-led by Roger Ehrenberg via IA Sports Ventures and Eberg Capital, and Fuel Venture Capital, with Fuel expanding their investment size in Betr from $10M invested to date to $20M total. Both co-founders â Joey Levy via a personal investment and Jake Paul via Anti Fund â participated in the round, and other major existing investors including FinSight Ventures, Florida Funders, and Aliya Capital Partners have invested significantly beyond their pro rata.
Betrâs gaming division, Betr Gaming, is an online sports betting (OSB) business focused on a unique product experience with a simplified UI/UX that is catered to the casual sports fan, enabling Betr to capture more of the underpenetrated online gaming addressable market. Betr Gaming began with a microbetting-only product, allowing users to bet on individual plays and events â such as pass or rush on the next play in football or the outcome of the next pitch in baseball, and is expanding its product offering to include additional markets with full sportsbook capabilities. Betr Gaming is licensed and operational in Ohio and Massachusetts, is licensed in Virginia with plans to launch soon, and holds market access in Indiana and other jurisdictions that will be announced soon. In addition to OSB, Betr Gaming will be unveiling two additional real money gaming verticals, which will be announced over the coming weeks and months, signifying the Companyâs commitment to diversification and innovation within the gaming industry. Betr Gaming has also established itself as the leader in responsible gaming across the real money gaming industry by being the first and only operator to proactively ban credit cards as a method of depositing for all users, while imposing monthly deposit limits for young consumers aged 21-25 years old.
Betr recently acquired the Chameleon platform from FansUnite, which will enable Betr Gaming to launch V1 of its OSB product, Betr Betting, with full sportsbook capabilities which will include pre-match and in-play core markets, parlays, same game parlays, futures, props, and other bet types, along with 20+ additional sports. In addition to bolstering Betr Betting, the Chameleon platform will also support the two additional real money gaming verticals the Company plans to announce.
Betrâs media division, Betr Media, is the fastest growing sports betting media brand in the US, already surpassing 1.3B impressions on social media in its first 10 months. Betr Media is focused predominantly on original and short-form content, which the Company believes will be the primary form of sports media consumption for the 21-34-year-old male demographic outside of consuming live sporting events themselves. Betr Mediaâs unique approach of creating culture as opposed to reposting culture is also informing unprecedented media-audience-to-product conversion, with over 20% of Betr Mediaâs estimated Ohio audience already converting to real money gaming customers for Betr Gaming. In just its first year, Betr Media was awarded Best Sports Betting Content in the sports media industry at the 2023 Hashtag Sports Awards and was also nominated for two other awards, including Best Original Content for the Companyâs flagship franchise BS w/ Jake Paul and Best Use of Gamification for the Companyâs Betr Ticket contest.
Betr Media is driving low-to-no-CAC for Betr Gaming, positioning the Company to have the best unit economics in the OSB and iGaming markets, which is projected to reach over $40B in the US and $150B globally by 2030. The Company has laid the foundations for a powerful flywheel â where it can capitalize its business and monetize users directly via Betr Gaming products, invest this capital in content creators via Betr Media to further drive brand awareness and brand affinity, and then funnel this incremental audience growth and engagement to Betr Gaming products.
Joey Levy, Founder and CEO of Betr, said: âI am thrilled to announce our Series A2 round of financing, which we opportunistically raised after successfully laying the foundations for Betr Gaming and Betr Media while validating some of our core theses. Our ability to rapidly scale Betr Mediaâs audience, and then convert this audience to Betr Gaming at low-to-no-CAC, will enable us to have the best unit economics in the regulated real money gaming industry, positioning Betr to create more value than incumbent operators over time. The three pillars of our business are 1) low-to-no-CAC supported by unique social media expertise, 2) strong user engagement and retention supported by brand affinity and a differentiated product, and 3) a focus on responsible gaming supported by a team that believes in doing the right thing. We have seen material validation of pillar one, we have demonstrated leadership and still have more planned with respect to pillar three, and we will be better positioned to validate pillar two after launching our two other real money gaming verticals and V1 of Betr Betting on top of the recently acquired Chameleon platform.
âFinally, I am thrilled this round has served as a platform to deepen the Companyâs relationship with Roger Ehrenberg, one of the most successful venture investors of the past two decades who is investing over 10x his pro rata in this round, and Fuel Venture Capital, one of the preeminent Miami-based venture capital firms, who is doubling their investment in the company from $10M invested to date to $20M total after this round. I am grateful for the continued support of Roger, Fuel Venture Capital, and many of our other great investors.â
Roger Ehrenberg said: âBetr is poised to change the dynamics of the OSB landscape by moving âentertainmentâ front and center through compelling content, a superior user experience and deeper engagement across both major and alternative sports. Sports have a special ability to bring people together, and no company is better positioned to accelerate and benefit from this trend than Betr.â
Jeff Ransdell, Founding Partner & Managing Director of Fuel Venture Capital, said: âJoey, Jake, and the incredible Betr team are truly creating something remarkable. They are addressing a genuine need in the sports media and betting world, catering directly to the end consumer. The overwhelming demand from investors wanting to join this journey is a testament to the validity and promise of what theyâre building.â
Industry News
Navajo Gaming Honors 186 Team Members for Employee Milestones
This month The Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise (Navajo Gaming) honored 186 of its total 1200 team members for reaching significant employment milestones including 15, 10, and 5 years of service for the enterprise. The event at Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort in Flagstaff, Ariz. showcased the impact and journey of each hard-working team member, with a special highlight for 29 employees who have served for 15 years.
Less than 10 years after Navajo Gaming was created by the Navajo Nation and charged with the mission of creating jobs, increasing revenues, and stimulating incremental economic development within the Navajo Nation, the gaming enterprise created over 7425 direct, indirect and induced jobs with an overall economic output of over a billion dollars.
âNavajo Gaming employs 1200 people, 85 percent of whom are Navajo citizens. The award-winning AAAâs coveted Four Diamond Twin Arrows Casino Resort shares Navajo Culture through architectural nuances and local artists. Each of the property dining eateries feature âNavajo Beef,â and traditional cuisine of the Navajo people, and our invitation to stay, play and relax at one of our four properties or Travel Center is an open welcome to the Navajo Nationâs beautiful scenic transformation,â Matthew Shunkamolah, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Navajo Gaming, said.
Team members recognized for 15 years of services have worked their way up to a wide variety of position within the enterprise from General Manager and Executive Director of Slots, to Director of Security, Food and Beverage Supervisor and Executive Director of Government Affairs.
Industry News
The International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) Announces 2024 International Gaming Summit in Washington, D.C.
The International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) will hold its 41st International Gaming Summit Monday, May 27 through Thursday, May 30, 2024 at The Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C.
As a premier event that brings together leaders from all global gaming sectors, the Summit will provide operators, suppliers, attorneys, investors, bankers, regulators and other advisor delegates with an unparalleled opportunity to meet and discuss the most important issues facing gaming.
âWe are looking forward to holding this yearâs 41st Annual International Gaming Summit in Washington, D.C., and are pleased to announce an agenda that includes a specific focus on some of the key sports betting issues the rapidly expanding US market is facing. As part of this focus, we will bring together representatives from global sports betting operators, regulatory agencies, professional sports leagues and other experts to discuss how the industryâs sports betting stakeholders can better work together to ensure a sustainable, responsible sports betting environment that is built on best practices lessons learned from other markets,â John Stawyskyj, President of IAGA, said.
âBeyond our sports betting focus, our diverse agenda includes discussions on other issues of importance including the growing impact of fraud and cyber breaches on regulated operators, a look into the federal and state lobbying process, an update on whatâs happening in other gaming markets outside North America, a deep dive into new technologies and how they might impact gaming and more. I look forward to welcoming our delegates to Washington and participating with them in lively discussions about these critical issues and more,â Stawyskyj added.
Industry News
Marker Trax Appoints John Henderson as Senior Vice President of Operations
Marker Trax, a leader in cashless payment solutions for the gambling industry, has announced the appointment of John Henderson as its senior vice president of operations.
As the company continues solidifying its cashless payments sector leadership position, Henderson joins the team to play a key role in leading strategic planning efforts, executing new operator and customer initiatives, directing pursuit of key performance indicators, and ensuring overall product and technology quality control. He reports directly to, and will work closely with, Marker Trax President Charlie Skinner.
Henderson is a seasoned, energetic industry veteran who brings to Marker Trax more than four decades of success in delivering technology-based business solutions, leading innovation-forward companies seeking to increase their industry footprints and to solidify their market shares.
âWeâre cementing our leadership position in the cashless space, and John is the right leader, at the right time, to help guide us there. He has tactical expertise, and a long track record of success in the IT space. More than that, though, heâs always eager to innovate â which aligns perfectly with our philosophy and goals. Weâre lucky to have him on board,â Charlie Skinner, President of Marker Trax, said.
Immediately prior to joining Marker Trax, Henderson served as chief information officer at WorldStrides, a global leader in educational travel services, and helped the company navigate a business and IT transformation program. Henderson has also held client partner roles at Accenture, IBM, and Cognizant, and has served numerous global brands including Choice Hotels, Hilton Hotels, MGM Resorts, Wynn, Disney, and Royal Caribbean.
âEvery step of his career, Johnâs shown natural aptitude for client relationship management and large-scale systems integrations, and a keen, tactical eye for optimizing performance at all levels of an operation. At Marker Trax, weâre increasing our market footprint through continual innovation, and Johnâs tactical leadership will be of tremendous benefit to reaching our goals,â Skinner said.
Hendersonâs addition caps a prolific run of recent accomplishments for the company. It recently unveiled its innovative consumer product, Moolah Play, secured renewed commitment from partner and global payments leader Euronet Worldwide Inc., and is introducing its cashless credit technology into more markets around the country.
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