Drake invests in sports betting start-up Esports Lounge – TechCrunch



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Drake's last collaboration was not with Kanye or Kendrick, it's with Marissa Mayer.

The rap superstar has joined a host of Silicon Valley investors, including Strauss Zelnick, Comcast, Macro Ventures, Canaan, RRE, Courtside and Marissa Mayer, to fund Players' Lounge, a startup startup. Esports wishing to put players in competition against each other, in their favorite titles. with some friendly bets on the line.

The startup has just announced that it has closed a $ 3 million financing.

The company, which has been in existence for five years, made its debut as a start-up in the field of sports, seeking to organize live matches in bars in New York to face FIFA. This is obviously not the most evolutionary business of all time, but last year, after joining Y Combinator, the company really embarked on a new model that aimed to create an online hub for players face them in the titles of their choice, with money in their pocket. line.

The company puts a lot of emphasis on sports titles, such as FIFA 19, NBA 2K19 and Madden 19, but there are also some big hitters like Fortnite, Apex Legends and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The players can organize a match or join one in the context of challenges or massive tournaments gathering 500 people. Bets are often dollars or two but can swell much higher. The Players Lounge takes 10% of the bets as a fee. Because it is a game of skill and not of chance, there are not many problems of regulation of the game, although some states still do not allow service, said the company.

The startup plans to use their new money to strengthen their playable games library and add to their development team.

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