Splash, formerly known as BetterPool, announced Monday the acquisition of RunYourPool (RYP) and OfficeFootballPool (OFP) alongside the launch of their real money gaming platform SplashSports.com. Splash Sports is set to go live publicly in July, just in time for the upcoming NFL season, making its services available in 29 states.
The company’s newest offering, Splash Sports, is described as a real-money gaming platform built for friends and groups to compete in games of skill, “bringing the sports pool space to the modern age.” Currently in private beta, the platform provides “a much-needed alternative” to traditional wagering options in the United States.
The company notes that, unlike most operators, Splash Sports does not allow games against the house and is entirely focused on “empowering commissioners” (contest organizers) to safely and legally run their own peer-to-peer contests “without the hassle of chasing down entry fees and paying out winners.”
TJ Ross, Co-Founder at Splash Sports, said: “A trend we’ve seen in real money gaming is that players are tired of giving money ‘to the house.’ It is almost impossible to beat the book consistently, and those who do win get their accounts limited or shut down. Our focus is providing the platform for commissioners to run their own games, and we truly don’t care who wins. We think playing in a peer-to-peer setting is not only more fun but also more fair.”
Splash Sports provides commissioners with all the tools they need to easily run a successful contest, says the firm, including simple contest creation, easily shareable invites, dynamic live scoring, and handling of all entry fees and payouts to winners.
Beyond running the contest itself, the platform aims to make it easy for commissioners to build communities by giving them their own commissioner page with a user profile, a list of all their contests, the ability to post content, and a follow button so their players never miss a contest or piece of content from their favorite commissioners.
“Sports are more fun with your friends, and the popularity of fantasy football, survivor pools, and March Madness brackets show that players want to compete against people they know,” said Joel Milton, co-founder at Splash Sports.
“Whereas operators struggle to integrate social elements into their product experience, pools are inherently social, which results in a far stickier product than an individual user betting against the house. From a business perspective, lower customer acquisition costs and higher retention are two key metrics that help Splash Sports stand out in this competitive industry.”
The company has been operating in “stealth mode” since its inception and has quietly built a user base of 2.2 million active players, making it one of the largest entertainment-only gaming providers in the United States, according to a press release.
The business has garnered support from venture firms and notable individuals in the sports, entertainment, and tech industries, including Accomplice, Acies Investments, Elysian Park Ventures, Velvet Sea Ventures, and Boston Seed Capital.
Prominent investors include Theo Epstein, Doc O’Connor, Jonathan Kraft, Mike Gordon, and Sam Kennedy from Fenway Sports Group, as well as Alex Morgan, a star of the US Women’s National Team, and various other sports team owners, professional sports bettors, and other investors and operators in sports, entertainment, and tech.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2023/06/06/67424-splash-acquires-runyourpool-and-officefootballpro-announces-rmg-platform-launch
