The Betting Startups Newsletter - January 2023

Editor's note: The Betting Startups Newsletter is now officially a year old - thanks for helping us get here!

As we enter our second year, we're excited to share a big change to the newsletter: starting in February, we're going to start publishing weekly instead of monthly.

We'll continue to work hard on delivering value in every issue, but we understand if a weekly newsletter isn't what you signed up for. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom, and no hard feelings if you need to bail.

We're pumped to continue shining a light on all the exciting things happening at the early stage of this growing industry, and we're grateful that you've joined us for the ride 🙏

Now onto the January edition (the last monthly one!) ⤵️

👔 ICE ICE Baby

The industry's largest annual gathering takes place in London from February 7-9, which is expected to be the largest-ever edition of ICE!

As always, the show will feature the Pitch ICE competition, where 12 entrepreneurs will present their startup to the live audience in attendance.

See the full pitch schedule, and meet the 12 companies that were chosen by watching their two-minute pitch videos. Good luck to all participants!

💰 Funding news

January 2023 was the quietest month for early-stage funding announcements since we started tracking them 12 months ago, with only two headlines hitting our radar:

What to make of the sluggish start to new fundings in 2023? We'll wait to see what February brings before drawing any sweeping conclusions.

🚀 Big launches

• Betr launches real-money betting in Ohio. Jake Paul & Joey Levy's microbetting startup began accepting real-money deposits and withdrawals in Ohio, following a soft launch on January 1. (via iGB)

• UBetOhio launches as one of state's first "Type C" operators. Bars, restaurants, and grocery stores in Ohio now feature UBetOhio self-servicing betting kiosks, in partnership with IGT. (via Gambling News)

• Better Fan launches web3 sports betting platform. Claiming that it offers a ‘safe and sustainable’ way of betting on sports, Better Fan combines web3 infrastructure and a play-to-earn model (via SBC Americas)

🤝 Fresh partnerships

• WagerWire x Sparket: a new partnership between two promising industry startups allows Sparket users to trade their bets using the WagerWire platform, or directly within the Sparket app. (via GamblingNews)

• SimWin Sports x Sports Illustrated: the iconic SI brand will become the official presenting partner of SimWin's metaverse-based fantasy sports experience (via iGB)

• Prophet Exchange x SharpRank: Prophet has selected SharpRank as its official ratings agency to help ensure transparency and integrity for users of the NJ-based betting exchange (via SBC Americas)

Some good stuff that we found ourselves nodding along to in January:

💪 Added bench strength

• Gaming Society adds three sports pros as advisors. Chelsea Gray, Sheryl Swoopes, and [checks notes] Derek Jeter join the advisory board of the gamification and content startup. (via Gambling News)

• Sports IQ adds Sportradar & Genius Sports vets to exec team. The Vancouver-headquartered oddsmaker has bolstered its executive team with the appointments of two industry veterans. (via SBC News)

• Low6 names Brittany Almeida as Sales & Strategy Director. The gamification platform for sportsbooks, sports teams, and leagues bolsters its leadership team as it pushes for ongoing growth. (via Gambling News)

🎙️ From the podcast studio

Episodes of The Betting Startups Podcast that you might have missed:

Ep. 54 w/ Joey Levy, founder and CEO of betr (Jan. 4, 41:09). Listen now: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Web

Ep. 55 w/ Cameron Conn, CEO of OneComply, which offers 360 degree compliance management (Jan. 11, 31:37). Listen now: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Web

Ep. 56 w/ Drew Tabor, co-founder & CEO of BetsBooster, which is taking the gambling out of betting (Jan. 19, 27:33). Listen now: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Web

Ep. 57 w/ Bart Stein, co-founder & COO of Mojo, which is the stock market for sports (Jan. 25, 30:01). Listen now: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Web

We also want to give a shout out to the iGaming NEXT Podcast, who published a great episode with Tomash from Kero Sports! It's a must-listen for any industry startups that are considering raising capital. Listen now: Spotify

🐦 Twitter follow of the month

NJ-based operator Sporttrade (guest on Ep. 44 of The Betting Startups Podcast) recently launched the Sporttrade Whale Tracker, a dedicated Twitter account that broadcasts large trades made on the Sporttrade platform.

Taking inspiration from crypto whale tracker accounts on Twitter, Sporttrade's version currently shares trades over $1,000, and cash-outs with profit over $100.

💼 Hand-picked jobs

Amazing opportunities at these awesome companies, brought to you by BettingRoles.com, the industry’s largest job board:

• Fanatics is looking for a Marketing Operations Manager to own and operate the Fanatics Sportsbook retention promotions and communications. 👉 View Job 

• Incentive Games is looking for a Lead Applications Developer to build a variety of games for clients. Edinburgh-based but remote friendly. 👉 View Job 

• Underdog is looking for a Senior Product Manager - Sports Betting to help launch their first sports betting app. Remote possible within the US. 👉 View Job 

And if these ones aren't for you, browse over 1,000 other open jobs now on BettingRoles.com.

🏁 The finish line

If you're still reading, you've made it to the end. Nice! We'll see you again soon with the first WEEKLY issue of The Betting Startups Newsletter.