Golden Camel wants to bring the Vegas sportsbook experience to your pocket

Over the past decade, most innovation in sports betting apps has followed a familiar playbook: more data, more tools, more ways to optimize. But the founders of Golden Camel believe the industry has overlooked something essential: the fact that most people aren’t trying to beat the house—they’re just trying to have a good time.

That contrarian belief sits at the center of Golden Camel’s origin story, which itself started as anything but fun. Nearly 10 years ago at the opening of Levi’s Stadium, Ryan Magrum and Artie Baxter, two of the now-cofounders, witnessed themselves cycling between offshore sportsbooks instead of enjoying the game. As Magrum put it: “We realized two things… we lost every bet and we missed out on an amazing experience because we were glued to our phones.” It became the seed for an app that keeps betting in one place rather than pulling fans away from the action.

To actually build it, though, they needed someone who understood product. Enter Ben Ramirez, a San Francisco-based designer and startup veteran who spent 20 years in tech, including early-team work at social influence pioneer Klout. 

When the pair pitched him the idea, Ramirez saw the opportunity through a slightly different lens. He believed the real value went beyond streamlining box scores and bets into one place, and was instead sitting within the emotional energy of betting itself. “We wanted it to feel like a sportsbook in your pocket… being in Vegas, sitting in a sportsbook with people next to you, you’re having fun, you're drinking some beers… we wanted to capture that emotion,” he said.

Today, Golden Camel has evolved into an all-in-one betting companion that pulls a bettor’s world into a single screen. The app aggregates wagers across multiple sportsbooks, tracks live scores and props in real time, and surfaces clean, confidence-driven AI insights for users who want more context without drowning in data. The result is a unified, easy-to-navigate hub that strips out the clutter and lets bettors follow the action without juggling multiple apps simultaneously.

That ethos is embedded across the product and brand. The team openly rejects the idea that most users should be chasing edges. “We have a neon sign in our office that says, you bet you lose,” Magrum said. “We’re leaning into the entertainment side and the community side… you can go put 10 bucks on a crazy parlay with your buddies and drink a couple beers and it costs the same as if you went to go see a movie.”

Golden Camel also offers a subscription tier that unlocks AI sims and prop projections, but the founders are careful about how they frame it. The goal isn’t to transform casual bettors into pros, but rather to give them context. “We have the tools, we just don’t have it in your face,” Baxter said. 

That philosophy extends to their go-to-market in Arizona, where they’ve built a physical content studio, launched their Desert Donkeys podcast, and positioned the brand as an approachable, community-driven hub for local fans. “Think Golden Camel, think fun, think entertainment,” Baxter said.

With more states legalizing, prediction markets reshaping expectations, and betting culture moving from taboo to mainstream, the team feels they’re early in a big shift. Ramirez sees a widening audience finally ready for a product like this: “If we have an app that’s approachable and easier to use… it’s easier to dip your toe in.”

Looking to 2026, the team is focused on launching a rebuilt website, hitting audience growth targets, and scaling at a steady, sustainable pace, but the core philosophy isn’t changing. Golden Camel wants betting to feel like entertainment, or as they put it: “fun,” “simple” and community-driven, and not another data-heavy grind.

Listen to the full podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.