Unikrn to be acquired by the betting and gaming giant, Entain
Entain has announced its acquisition of Unikrn Inc., a leading esports betting and entertainment media company and a portfolio company of Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder.
About Unikrn
Unikrn Inc. is an esports betting and entertainment media company based in Seattle, Washington. Established in 2014, Unikrn is one of the world’s leading esports companies, with a specific focus on wagering and gaming. Unikrn was backed by celebrity investors including Mark Cuban and Ashton Kutcher. It allows people to bet on esports matches in games such as League of Legends or Counter-Strike much like they do with traditional sports.
Unikrn led the way in developing new products and customer experiences and have established themselves as the leading esports wagering operator. Unikrn’s exclusive technologies include unrivalled innovations such as virtual esports, streamer betting and bet on yourself products, sitting alongside best-in-class esports focussed traditional betting options such as sportsbook.
They have won widespread industry recognition as Esports operator of the Year 2019 & 2020, Wagering innovator of the Year 2020, Esports provider of the year 2021 & Esports innovator of the Year 2021.
About Entain
Entain plc, formerly GVC Holdings, is an international sports betting and gambling company. Entain is the owner of online brands across sports betting, casino, poker, and bingo games, such as bwin and Ladbrokes. It processed more than $16 billion of sports wagers in 2020, and employs more than 24,000 people worldwide. The company is UK-listed.
The betting giant is acquiring the technology platform together with Unikrn’s products and team. Karl Flores, the current CEO, is joining the team at Entain.
“We couldn’t be happier. Entain has the talent, experience, resources and great minds to empower the award-winning visionaries who’ve built Unikrn’s product & technology to date.” wrote Flores in his LinkedIn post announcement.
Unikrn is one of the Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder’s portfolio companies.
“We extend our warmest congratulations to Karl Flores, Rahul Sood, David Warat, Andrew Vouris, Daniel Rudolph and all the other team members at Unikrn. We are proud to have taken part in that impressive journey.” said Arkadiusz Seńko, managing partner of the Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder fund.
Paul Collins is a freelance journalist from Newport, Wales. Paul has worked within the Gaming Industry since 2009. Paul focuses mainly on sports but also covers regulatory and compliance news pieces.