Latest News
Sports Betting Entrepreneur Joey Levy and Media Mogul Jake Paul Announce Creation of Micro-Betting and Media Company “Betr” with $50M Series A
Sports betting entrepreneur Joey Levy and media mogul Jake Paul announced the creation of Betr, the first direct-to-consumer micro-betting focused sports betting company. Levy will be acting as CEO of the company, while Paul will be the President, which has raised $50 million in a Series A round.
As part of the company’s efforts, the two are also launching a new media venture for the next generation of sports fans. Betr is setting out to “disrupt legacy gambling and legacy media”, with a mission of making sports and betting “betr”.
Betr is the first direct-to-consumer sports betting company to focus predominantly on micro-betting, a new form of betting that introduces instant gratification to the sports betting user experience by enabling the moments that drive U.S. sports consumption – such as pitches & at-bats of baseball games and plays & drives of football games – to become discrete betting opportunities.
Levy is the co-founder of Simplebet, the B2B technology company that has pioneered micro-betting on U.S. sports by building the machine learning and automation infrastructure to enable this new form of betting to exist at scale.
Betr will be leveraging Simplebet’s technology and is releasing its app in the coming weeks, initially as a free-to-play experience available in all 50 states, with a state-by-state rollout of its licensed real money betting experiences to follow later this year. Betr has secured market access in multiple U.S. states through strategic equity-based partnerships that the company will be announcing in the near future.
Paul, who has 70 million followers on social media and is one of the most searched public figures on Google, kicked off the launch of Betr’s media company with a preview of “BS w/ Jake Paul,” the first of many franchises Betr will release as it aims to become the primary media platform for the next generation of sports fans.
The show will feature Jake, arguably the most disruptive athlete-influencer in sports and one of the most famous Gen-Z personalities in the world, along with his celebrity friends taking fans on a journey across the landscape of sports and sports betting through the eyes of an A-list athlete. The show sets out to become one of the most viewed and engaged sports shows on digital with each episode featuring Jake, his sidekick co-hosts, and celebrity/athlete guests as they discuss the hottest stories in sports. In addition to generating brand awareness and affinity for the Betr brand, Betr’s media company will independently generate revenue for Betr, with the company evaluating sponsorship opportunities for “BS w/ Jake Paul” and its other premium content initiatives.
Joey Levy, Founder and CEO of Betr, said: “I co-founded Simplebet to simplify the sports betting user experience – to reconsider why sports betting products felt uninterpretable to the casual fan who had never bet on sports before. In doing so, we discovered that the technology required to enable a scalable micro-betting platform around the moments that drive U.S. sports did not yet exist, given the global market’s focus was on soccer, a fluid sport without a natural start and stop cadence. So we decided to build it ourselves at Simplebet; however, years later, the user experience remains unintuitive for a mass market consumer.
“Betr will unbundle micro-betting by building an entire company around it and delivering the experience in a simple, intuitive UI layer. We believe micro-betting will ultimately emerge as the predominant way consumers bet on U.S. sports, given (1) the stop and start cadence of U.S. sports lending itself perfectly to this style of wagering, and (2) similarly to how daily fantasy sports innovated on top of season long fantasy, micro-betting introduces an order of magnitude greater level of instant gratification to the current sports betting user experience.
“We have an opportunity to build the most capital efficient and culturally relevant gambling business in the US – ultimately surpassing other sports betting companies whose primary focus remains on spending heavily on customer acquisition while offering commoditized legacy sportsbook product experiences – by introducing superior and differentiated product, while capturing billions of dollars-worth of free marketing via our media company, all while also directly monetizing our media company via sponsorship and licensing revenue.”
Alex Ursa has joined Betr as Head of Product from FanDuel, where he helped build their sports betting & casino businesses into the clear market leader. Mike Denevi has joined Betr as Head of Media from Bleacher Report, where he helped build BR Betting into the top sports betting media brand on social. The company is headquartered in Miami and the team will be working together in person, which it views as a competitive advantage in a post-COVID world that has embraced remote work.
Jake Paul, Founder and President of Betr, said: “I wasn’t into sports betting until I was introduced to micro-betting. Micro-betting is the TikTok-ification of sports betting and I am excited to bring it to the masses through Betr. We are in this for the long haul and are focused on doing things the right way. We are getting licensed state-by-state, adhering to each state’s regulatory framework while advocating for important consumer protections and responsible gambling. We want to be the category defining consumer company in both sports betting and sports media by the end of the decade and are confident we will achieve that goal.”
Simplebet CEO Chris Bevilacqua said: “We’re thrilled to be Betr’s technology partner, powering unique in-play betting experiences centered around micro-betting and transforming the way consumers engage and wager on sports. The combination of our best-in-class technology together with the reimagined user experience, reach, and influence of Betr’s distribution channels will be a powerful force in the market. This partnership features many of the best elements of the rapidly increasing convergence of sports, media, and technology and we are excited to be in the center of it.”
Betr has raised $50 million in funding from renowned institutional and strategic investors and some of the most influential athletes, celebrities, and sports team owners including Florida Funders, 8vc, Aliya Capital Partners, Fuel Venture Capital, FinSight Ventures, Co-Owners of San Francisco 49ers, Boston Celtics, and Miami Marlins, Travis Scott, Ezekiel Elliott, Richard Sherman, Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson, Braxton Berrios, Palm Tree Crew, Roger Ehrenberg, Mark Wan, Russell Galbut, David Grutman, Deirdre Bigley, Gary Barber, Simplebet, Stronach Group, Magic City Casino, Anti Fund, 305 Ventures, Elizabeth Street Ventures, Riverside Ventures, Gaingels, Moving Capital, Elysium Venture Capital, FJ Labs, Tampa Bay Ventures, Trog Hawley, and many others. Betr closed a $30M Series A led by Florida Funders earlier this year in what was the largest investment in Florida Funders history. The Series A was oversubscribed, so the company raised an additional $20M Series A1 led by Aliya Capital Partners and Fuel Venture Capital, with its initial closing last quarter and its final closing scheduled for this quarter.
“Florida Funders saw a massive opportunity in a nascent market where the legacy players have not been strong from product, technology, and cultural relevance standpoints. In addition to the market opportunity, the ability to back Joey Levy for the third time – having invested early with Joey in Simplebet and in 305 Ventures – was something we could not pass up on. In addition to Jake Paul, Joey has surrounded himself with great people, including Alex Ursa and Mike Denevi. We could not be more excited about the future of Betr – and are thrilled to be on this journey as this team changes sports betting and sports media in the US,” Saxon Baum at Florida Funders said.
Latest News
Gambling.com Group Reports First Quarter Results Including Record Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA
Gambling.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: GAMB) (“Gambling.com Group” or the “Company”), a fast-growing provider of marketing and sports data services for the global online gambling industry, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.
Charles Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gambling.com Group, commented, “We entered 2025 with our marketing business at all-time highs and with an expanded suite of sports data services having closed the acquisition of OddsJam and OpticOdds on January 1. Since the closing, we have made substantial progress on integrating these offerings into our overall business and the products are performing strongly as expected. With an enhanced sports data services platform, we now have meaningful recurring subscription revenue, which we expect to account for well over 20% of our 2025 revenue, bringing increased revenue visibility and a complimentary, high margin and high growth source of profit and cash flow.
“We are reiterating our full year 2025 guidance despite the unpredictable macro environment, as our services address critical problems for all our customers and our industry is typically insulated from the gyrations of the global economy. We continue to expect 2025 to be another year of record revenue, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow as we leverage the skills and expertise of our talented team with a larger product offering to drive growth across all our reporting regions. Each day we are moving closer to our goal of generating $100 million in annual Adjusted EBITDA.”
Elias Mark, Chief Financial Officer of Gambling.com Group, added, “Our first quarter results include record quarterly revenue of $40.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $15.9 million, reflecting year-over-year growth of 39% and 56%, respectively. With the solid start to the year, we remain confident in our full year outlook with the midpoints of our guidance for revenue of $172 million and $68 million in Adjusted EBITDA, representing year on year growth of 35% and 40%, respectively.”
Financial Highlights Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 vs. Three Months Ended March 31, 2024
(USD in thousands, except per share data, unaudited)
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31, |
|
Change |
|||||
|
|
2025 |
|
2024 |
|
% |
|||
|
Revenue |
40,635 |
|
|
29,215 |
|
|
39 |
% |
|
Net income for the period attributable to shareholders |
11,236 |
|
|
7,299 |
|
|
54 |
% |
|
Net income per share attributable to shareholders, diluted |
0.31 |
|
|
0.19 |
|
|
63 |
% |
|
Net income margin |
28 |
% |
|
25 |
% |
|
|
|
|
Adjusted net income for the period attributable to shareholders (1) |
16,490 |
|
|
9,264 |
|
|
78 |
% |
|
Adjusted net income per share attributable to shareholders, diluted (1) |
0.46 |
|
|
0.24 |
|
|
92 |
% |
|
Adjusted EBITDA (1) |
15,864 |
|
|
10,159 |
|
|
56 |
% |
|
Adjusted EBITDA Margin (1) |
39 |
% |
|
35 |
% |
|
|
|
|
Cash flows generated by operating activities |
11,415 |
|
|
8,806 |
|
|
30 |
% |
|
Free Cash Flow (1) |
10,277 |
|
|
8,193 |
|
|
25 |
% |
__________
(1) Represents a non-IFRS measure. See “Supplemental Information – Non-IFRS Financial Measures” and the tables at the end of this release for reconciliations to the comparable IFRS numbers.
First Quarter 2024 and Recent Business Highlights
- Delivered more than 138,000 new depositing customers (“NDCs”)
- Completed accretive acquisition of Odds Holdings, Inc. on January 1, 2025 for initial consideration of $70 million in cash and $10 million in ordinary shares
- Expanded credit facility to $165 million with a new syndicate
Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 Results Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2024
Revenue rose 39% year-over-year to a record $40.6 million. Revenue from marketing services increased 13% year over year to $30.7 million as the Company delivered more than 138,000 NDCs to clients, a 29% increase over the prior-year period. Revenue from sports data services increased 405% year-over-year to $9.9 million, primarily due to the contribution of OddsJam and OpticOdds following the acquisition on January 1. Recurring subscription revenue represented 24% of total 2025 first quarter revenue.
Gross profit increased 42% to $38.4 million, due to strong revenue growth while cost of sales was in line with the prior-year period reflecting lower cost of sales for media partnerships offset by the addition of cost of sales related to OddsJam and OpticOdds.
Total operating expenses increased 49% to $28.4 million, primarily as a result of increased people costs and higher amortization related to the acquisition of Freebets.com and related assets on April 1, 2024 and the acquisition of Odds Holdings on January 1, 2025.
Net income attributable to shareholders increased $3.9 million to $11.2 million and net income per share was $0.31 compared to $0.19 in the prior-year period. Adjusted net income rose 78% to $16.5 million and Adjusted net income per share increased 92% to $0.46.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 56% to a record $15.9 million, reflecting an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 39% as compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $10.2 million and an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 35% in the prior-year period.
Operating cash flow grew 30% to $11.4 million. Free cash flow increased 25% to $10.3 million, reflecting growth in Adjusted EBITDA partly offset by working capital movements.
2025 Outlook
Gambling.com Group today reiterated the 2025 full-year revenue and Adjusted EBITDA guidance originally provided on February 19, 2025. The Company expects full year revenue of $170 million to $174 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $67 million to $69 million. The midpoints of the new full year revenue and Adjusted EBITDA guidance ranges represent year-over-year growth of 35% and 40%, respectively, and an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 39.5%.
The Company’s guidance assumes:
- Incremental Adjusted EBITDA contributions of approximately $14.5 million related to the acquisition of Odds Holdings, Inc. that was completed on January 1, 2025.
- No additional North American markets coming online over the balance of 2025. While online sports betting is expected to begin in Missouri in the second half of 2025, the Company’s guidance policy excludes any benefits from new state launches until such time as a definitive start date is announced by the appropriate regulatory body.
- An average EUR/USD exchange rate of 1.10 throughout 2025.
Conference Call Details
|
Date/Time: |
Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. ET |
||
|
Webcast: |
https://www.webcast-eqs.com/register/Gamb051525/en |
||
|
U.S. Toll-Free Dial In: |
877-407-0890 |
||
|
International Dial In: |
1 201-389-0918 |
The Brazilian Ministry of Sports and the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) have signed a sports betting integrity cooperation agreement. This partnership will enable the sharing of information concerning suspicious betting activity connected to Brazilian sports and support collaboration on integrity-related investigations.
The agreement brings together the governmental body tasked with safeguarding the integrity and development of Brazilian sport, and the largest international betting integrity monitor for private operators in the world. Leading industry data and intelligence company H2 Gambling Capital has forecast that IBIA covers more than 70% of Brazil’s licensed remote gambling market.
According to ‘The Availability of Sports Betting Products: An Economic and Integrity Analysis’ study published last year, the sports betting regulatory regime in Brazil is projected to create $34bn (R$191.7bn) in sports betting turnover by 2028. With this increased growth comes a greater responsibility to protect customers, sports and betting operators from match-fixing.
A key element of the new Brazilian regulatory framework is the requirement that operators seeking a licence must join an independent sports integrity monitoring body. This licensing requirement is helping to strengthen IBIA’s capacity to monitor, assess and protect betting transactions in Brazil’s regulated sports betting market and maintain the integrity of Brazilian sporting events.
Minister of Sport, André Fufuca, said: “Today we are signing a milestone in the fight against match-fixing in Brazilian sport. Integrity must be a constant principle when it comes to transparency, ethics and, above all, the correctness of sports results. With these agreements, we will have more than enough instruments to curb this practice and guarantee greater transparency in competitions. Thus, athletes, clubs, organizations, fans and the entire population will be able to fully trust in the fairness of the results and, with this, will have peace of mind to develop the full potential of Brazilian sport.”
Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “IBIA welcomes this important partnership with the Brazilian Ministry of Sports. As the market grows, so too does the responsibility to ensure that robust integrity safeguards are in place. This agreement will ensure that information on suspicious betting is swiftly shared with the Ministry to support effective integrity actions. This includes access to detailed, account-level data available only through IBIA’s unique network.”
IBIA is a globally recognised non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard the integrity of the sports and betting sectors by fighting betting related match-fixing and fraud. It provides a free integrity monitoring service to sports governing bodies, regulatory authorities, government ministries, and law enforcement agencies that, importantly, has no potential conflicts created by the provision of competing commercial services, enabling all parties to efficiently and effectively cooperate in investigating, prosecuting and deterring sports betting related match-fixing.
IBIA monitors over $300bn per annum in betting turnover across more than 140 sports betting brands globally, making IBIA the largest betting integrity monitor of its type for private operators in the world. The association’s unrivalled access to detailed global customer transactional data has, and will continue, to play a pivotal role in protecting the Brazilian sports betting market and sporting events from corrupt activity. IBIA recently released its global alert data for the first quarter of 2025, detailing that 63 cases of suspicious betting were reported to the relevant authorities.
Wazdan, the leading gain-focused developer known for its innovative approach to iGaming content, has been awarded Industry Innovation of the Year (North America) at SBC Awards Americas 2025.
The award recognises the company’s consistent efforts to develop solutions tailored to the specific demands of the North American market, combining latest technology with an understanding of local player preferences.
For years, Wazdan has delivered products that not only meet regulatory requirements but, above all, respond to user expectations in terms of gameplay, personalisation, and high-quality entertainment.
Wazdan continues to expand its presence across North America, forming strategic partnerships with leading operators and tailoring its titles to meet the regulatory requirements of individual jurisdictions. The company’s growth in the region is driven by locally focused innovation and a long-term collaborative strategy.
Attendees of SBC Summit Americas 2025 are invited to meet the Wazdan team who are situated at Stand D650, ready to showcase its latest solutions and award-winning products.
Izabela Słodkowska-Popiel, Head of Account Management for North and Latin America, said: “Innovation is not a one-off initiative, it’s a mindset that guides us at every stage of product design and delivery. Receiving the Industry Innovation of the Year award confirms that our focus on technological solutions and user-driven design is a proven formula.
“This recognition marks another important step in Wazdan’s growth and highlights the company’s strong and ever-expanding presence in one of the most dynamic iGaming markets.”
-
Latest News7 days agoReals Appoints Giorgia Kasat as New Head of HR, Strengthening Organizational Strategy in the Betting Industry
-
Latest News7 days agoCANJ Launches “Casinos United Against Hunger” Campaign
-
Latest News7 days agoWin Systems Celebrates Successful Participation at GAT Cartagena 2025
-
Compliance Updates7 days agoMGCB Issues Cease-and-Desist Order to BetUS
-
Latest News7 days agoAustin to Host Inaugural Global Esports Industry Week in June 2025
-
Latest News7 days agoGrand View Research: Global Sports Betting Market Size is Estimated to Reach USD 187.39 Billion by 2030
-
Canada4 days agoAGCO issues penalties of $151,000 against Great Canadian Entertainment for alleged age verification failures
-
Compliance Updates4 days agoGreyhound Advocates Applaud Oregon Governor Tina Kotek for Signing Historic Internet Betting Ban on Greyhound Races