As the NBA wrestles with whether its teams should support sports betting in the U.S., Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is getting into the eSports business.
Cuban is one of several investors who have put $7 million into eSports firm Unikrn. The company takes bets on professionally played eSports video games.
“Hundreds of companies every year try to get me to invest, whether on “Shark Tank” or off camera,” Cuban said in a statement. “However, I only put my money and my name on the companies that I feel will be successful, truly advance an industry and have a leadership team that I respect. Unikrn fits all these requirements. As a sports fanatic and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, I’m excited to be involved with a new sport just as it’s poised for huge growth.”
Other participating investors include Advancit Capital, Freelands Group, 500 Startups, Indicator Ventures and Tabcorp.
Unikrn has now raised $10 million in total funding and plans to put it towards hiring and a marketing budget. The company is also set to make major updates to its platform and launch a US-friendly version which will not allow real-money betting.
“Our mission is heightening the experience of watching eSports, and the tip of that is betting,” Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood told Mic.com. “There’s no better way to heighten the experience then letting people wager money.” That experience is becoming increasingly popular. Imagine sitting at a sports bar, ordering a beer, and putting 50 bucks down against the odds on your favorite team. But that team is competing in Counter-Strike, not the NBA.
