Yolo Investments raises €100M to back startups in iGaming, crypto, and fintech

The news: Yolo Investments has closed fundraising for its second flagship fund, hitting a €100 million target split between external investors and Yolo Group’s own capital.

Zoom in: The fund brings together 23 investors from founders to industry operators themselves—and has already deployed capital into 12 companies across iGaming, crypto, and fintech. Portfolio highlights include social betting app Dabble, fantasy operator ParlayPlay, and crypto exchange Kraken. Over the next 12 months, Yolo plans to make 10 additional investments.

Why it matters: Despite the "challenging market conditions,” Yolo is still writing checks—backing companies that sit at the intersection of real-money gaming and financial infrastructure. With a mix of consumer-facing operators and fintech enablers in the portfolio, the fund is a signal that capital continues to flow into the broader betting and crypto ecosystem—especially when paired with strategic guidance from insiders who’ve built in the space.

How StatsDrone is solving the “revenue leak” in affiliate marketing

StatsDrone Co-founder John Wright presents at NEXT Summit Valletta 2025.

The news: StatsDrone Co-founder John Wright joined The BettingStartups Podcast to talk about the hidden revenue leak draining affiliate marketing—and how his startup is building tools to stop it.

Zoom in: If you’re an iGaming affiliate, you might be sending traffic to dead links, outdated offers, or underperforming campaigns without realizing it. StatsDrone centralizes affiliate data across programs into a live dashboard, helping users spot issues and optimize performance. What started as a simple aggregator has evolved into a more robust BI and CRM platform—and now, even operators are starting to pay attention.

Why it matters: Affiliate marketing is still running on fragmented, manual infrastructure. Wright believes “billions” are being left on the table because most affiliates lack the tools and visibility into where they’re losing traffic or revenue. StatsDrone is betting that fixing the basics—better data, better feedback loops—can unlock serious upside for both affiliates and operators.

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

Blitz:Draft launches swipe-style fantasy sports app

The news: Blitz:Draft has launched its iOS app in the U.S., introducing a new take on fantasy sports built around short drafts, small contest sizes, and simple gameplay. The startup is live with free-to-play MLB contests and plans to roll out real-money NFL and NBA games this fall.

Zoom in: Blitz:Draft ditches long, drawn-out fantasy sports drafts in favor of a quick, two-minute experience where users swipe right to draft, or left to skip—a mechanic CEO and Co-founder Toby Bucsescu says was inspired by Tinder. Contest sizes are capped at 10 entrants, and users will eventually be able to redraft their team weekly in season-long leagues. Real-money contests will launch in 19 U.S. states that don’t regulate fantasy sports.

Why it matters: Fantasy sports haven’t changed all that much over the years—and that’s continued to attract startups looking to rethink the experience for modern users. Blitz:Draft is going after casual fans who want fast, fun, and fair contests without being outgunned by pros and optimizers. It’s a bet that short-form, swipe-first formats can do for fantasy what TikTok did for video—or Tinder did for dating.

News, money, and alpha

• First Pitch is returning to Lisbon this September during SBC Summit 2025—applications are now open for startups ready to present their big idea.

• Tugi Tark has launched from stealth, offering AI customer support agents to solve “one of the biggest frustrations in iGaming” — slow response times to queries.

• Toronto-based casino operator Betty has inked a partnership deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors.

• WagerWire won two pieces of hardware at the EGR Global Marketing and Innovation Awards in London, including the Most Innovative Marketing Campaign and Best Supplier Marketing Campaign.

From the studio

Catch up on the latest episodes of The BettingStartups Podcast.

• Solving the revenue leak problem w/ John Wright from StatsDrone

• The sports data platform for builders w/ Steven Kenway from Rolling Insights

• Launching a non-dilutive capital model w/ Davis Catlin from Discerning Capital

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Are you a startup in real-money gaming looking to announce a new product launch, partnership, or funding round? Get it on our radar! Email: [email protected]