Reddit公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人亞歷克西斯·奧哈尼安正在領(lǐng)投體育博彩初創(chuàng)公司W(wǎng)agr一輪400萬美元的種子輪融資。這款應(yīng)用程序?qū)で髮⑸缃幻襟w與博彩市場中一個快速增長的角落結(jié)合起來。
創(chuàng)立于2020年的Wagr開發(fā)了一款賭博應(yīng)用程序,可以讓球迷與朋友一起投注體育賽事,而不是在賭場下注。這家公司計劃創(chuàng)建一個不需要博彩知識就能夠參與,致力于拓展休閑博彩市場的社交平臺。
“事實上,朋友之間已經(jīng)開始在聊天群賭體育比賽的結(jié)果了,Wagr只不過是將這種現(xiàn)象產(chǎn)品化而已。”奧哈尼安在接受電話采訪時說,“這些賭注目前主要是通過Cash App或者在周一利用Venmo完成支付的。我們肯定會做得更好?!?/p>
奧哈尼安是通過他的公司Seven Seven Six進行投資的。本輪融資還得到了Greycroft、Pear Ventures、Tinder的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人賈斯汀·馬丁以及薩克斯百貨(Saks Inc.)的前董事長兼首席執(zhí)行長布拉德·馬丁的支持。
凱撒娛樂公司(Caesars Entertainment)的前首席執(zhí)行官加里·洛夫曼是Wagr的顧問。
在吸引更多休閑賭客的同時,該公司希望從DraftKings Inc.和Flutter Entertainment Plc旗下的FanDuel所開辟的市場中分得一杯羹。
“我們的應(yīng)用程序真正將投注體驗精簡到極致——我們目前只推出分差投注。”Wagr的創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官馬里奧·馬拉韋在接受電話采訪時說。“從用戶的角度來看,你所要做的就是選擇一個球隊,決定你要對哪一方下注,并選擇你要下多少賭注?!?/p>
Wagr認為,消費者愿意支付一筆平臺費用,以獲得一站式服務(wù),包括處理賠率、支付和打嘴仗等。該公司預(yù)計將按照傳統(tǒng)賭場的標準收取費用,并且已經(jīng)向田納西州和弗吉尼亞州申請經(jīng)營牌照,目前正在等待審批。
高盛集團(Goldman Sachs)的分析師在今年3月估計,美國在線體育博彩的潛在市場規(guī)模約為300億美元。新冠疫情爆發(fā)后,隨著許多困在家中的消費者放棄傳統(tǒng)娛樂活動,轉(zhuǎn)而開始參與在線投注,一些州加快了在線博彩合法化的立法進程。
上線伊始,這款應(yīng)用程序?qū)⑻峁┲饕w育項目的投注服務(wù),賭客可以與愿意賭博的朋友、家人或社區(qū)成員進行分差投注。盡管該公司預(yù)計最終會推出主題投注或輸贏盤,但起步階段仍然主推分差投注,部分原因是這種投注“非常適合點對點模式,因為是它們是50/50的?!瘪R拉韋說。
如果用戶找不到愿意下注的朋友,這款應(yīng)用程序就會將他或她與其所在州愿意下注的另一位賭客進行配對。Wagr計劃對單次下注設(shè)定500美元的上限,并允許用戶限制自己的下注頻率。
“歸根結(jié)底,這是為了創(chuàng)造一種更健康的博彩方式。”奧哈尼安說,“坦率地說,對于像Wagr這種尋求顛覆傳統(tǒng)體育博彩方式的企業(yè)來說,現(xiàn)在是一個完美的入場時機?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:任文科
Reddit公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人亞歷克西斯·奧哈尼安正在領(lǐng)投體育博彩初創(chuàng)公司W(wǎng)agr一輪400萬美元的種子輪融資。這款應(yīng)用程序?qū)で髮⑸缃幻襟w與博彩市場中一個快速增長的角落結(jié)合起來。
創(chuàng)立于2020年的Wagr開發(fā)了一款賭博應(yīng)用程序,可以讓球迷與朋友一起投注體育賽事,而不是在賭場下注。這家公司計劃創(chuàng)建一個不需要博彩知識就能夠參與,致力于拓展休閑博彩市場的社交平臺。
“事實上,朋友之間已經(jīng)開始在聊天群賭體育比賽的結(jié)果了,Wagr只不過是將這種現(xiàn)象產(chǎn)品化而已?!眾W哈尼安在接受電話采訪時說,“這些賭注目前主要是通過Cash App或者在周一利用Venmo完成支付的。我們肯定會做得更好。”
奧哈尼安是通過他的公司Seven Seven Six進行投資的。本輪融資還得到了Greycroft、Pear Ventures、Tinder的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人賈斯汀·馬丁以及薩克斯百貨(Saks Inc.)的前董事長兼首席執(zhí)行長布拉德·馬丁的支持。
凱撒娛樂公司(Caesars Entertainment)的前首席執(zhí)行官加里·洛夫曼是Wagr的顧問。
在吸引更多休閑賭客的同時,該公司希望從DraftKings Inc.和Flutter Entertainment Plc旗下的FanDuel所開辟的市場中分得一杯羹。
“我們的應(yīng)用程序真正將投注體驗精簡到極致——我們目前只推出分差投注。”Wagr的創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官馬里奧·馬拉韋在接受電話采訪時說。“從用戶的角度來看,你所要做的就是選擇一個球隊,決定你要對哪一方下注,并選擇你要下多少賭注?!?/p>
Wagr認為,消費者愿意支付一筆平臺費用,以獲得一站式服務(wù),包括處理賠率、支付和打嘴仗等。該公司預(yù)計將按照傳統(tǒng)賭場的標準收取費用,并且已經(jīng)向田納西州和弗吉尼亞州申請經(jīng)營牌照,目前正在等待審批。
高盛集團(Goldman Sachs)的分析師在今年3月估計,美國在線體育博彩的潛在市場規(guī)模約為300億美元。新冠疫情爆發(fā)后,隨著許多困在家中的消費者放棄傳統(tǒng)娛樂活動,轉(zhuǎn)而開始參與在線投注,一些州加快了在線博彩合法化的立法進程。
上線伊始,這款應(yīng)用程序?qū)⑻峁┲饕w育項目的投注服務(wù),賭客可以與愿意賭博的朋友、家人或社區(qū)成員進行分差投注。盡管該公司預(yù)計最終會推出主題投注或輸贏盤,但起步階段仍然主推分差投注,部分原因是這種投注“非常適合點對點模式,因為是它們是50/50的?!瘪R拉韋說。
如果用戶找不到愿意下注的朋友,這款應(yīng)用程序就會將他或她與其所在州愿意下注的另一位賭客進行配對。Wagr計劃對單次下注設(shè)定500美元的上限,并允許用戶限制自己的下注頻率。
“歸根結(jié)底,這是為了創(chuàng)造一種更健康的博彩方式?!眾W哈尼安說,“坦率地說,對于像Wagr這種尋求顛覆傳統(tǒng)體育博彩方式的企業(yè)來說,現(xiàn)在是一個完美的入場時機?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:任文科
Reddit Inc. co-founder Alexis Ohanian is leading a $4 million seed-funding round for the sports-betting startup Wagr, an app looking to wed social media with a fast-growing corner of the gambling market.
Founded in April 2020, Wagr has a gambling app that allows fans to bet on sports with friends instead of casinos. The company’s plan is to create a social platform that doesn’t require betting knowledge and expands the market for casual wagers.
“It’s about productizing what already goes down in everyone’s group chat, which is wagers between friends about sporting outcomes,” Ohanian said in a telephone interview. “Right now the way these get resolved is through a Cash App payment or a Venmo payment on Monday, and surely we can do better.”
Ohanian is investing through his firm, Seven Seven Six. The funding round is also backed by Greycroft, Pear Ventures, Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen, and Brad Martin, former chairman and chief executive officer of Saks Inc.
Gary Loveman, the former CEO of Caesars Entertainment, is an adviser to Wagr.
The company is looking to grab a share of the market that DraftKings Inc. and Flutter Entertainment Plc’s FanDuel have carved out while attracting more casual gamblers.
“Our app really strips down the betting experience to the bare essentials—we’re launching with point-spread bets only,” Mario Malave, Wagr’s founder and CEO, said in a phone interview. “From a user’s perspective, all you have to do is pick a team, decide who you want to bet against, and select how much you want to wager.”
Wagr believes consumers will be willing to pay a platform fee in order to have access to a one-stop service that handles the odds, payments and smack talk. It expects to charge fees in line with what traditional casinos take and has pending license applications to operate in Tennessee and Virginia.
Goldman Sachs analysts estimated in March that the total addressable market for online sports betting in the U.S. is about $30 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated some state legislation to legalize online betting, and consumers who were stuck at home took to gambling in place of more traditional entertainment.
When the app launches, it will initially offer major sports, with gamblers able to take either side of a point spread bet with a friend, family member or member of their community who’s willing to gamble. While the company expects to eventually launch prop bets or money-line wagers, the initial focus on point spreads is in part because they “l(fā)end themselves very well to the peer-to-peer model because they’re 50/50,” Malave said.
If a user can’t find a friend who wants to take a bet, the app will aim to match the gambler with someone in their state who does. Wagr plans to impose a $500 limit for a single bet and will allow users to restrict their own use.
“Ultimately, it’s to create a healthier approach to gambling,” Ohanian said. “It’s frankly the perfect time for a business like Wagr to come in and want to build something that really disrupts the way that sports betting has traditionally been done.”