CANTON, Ohio — The Hall of Fame Village has signed a 10-year deal with Betr, a company cofounded by Jake Paul, to create a sports gambling app associated with the resort.
It’s also cutting ties with Genesis Global Ltd., the sports-betting business that the resort in January had agreed to partner with for 10 years.
The Hall of Fame Village is one of 22 businesses that applied for “Type A” licenses under Ohio’s new sports gambling law, which would let them run a mobile sportsbook. The Ohio Casino Control Commission is reviewing applications.
The resort will share revenue with Betr and get limited equity in the company as part of the deal.
Betr was founded by Paul and Joey Levy, a veteran of the sports betting industry who co-founded Simplebet, which is focused on the technology behind “micro-betting.”
According to an announcement, Betr will focus mostly on micro-betting. It lets users bet on individual moments in a sporting event, like the next at-bat in a baseball game or a drive in a football game.
Paul, an entrepreneur, boxer and YouTube personality, grew up in Westlake.
The company will also have a media component that includes a show hosted by Paul where he speaks with top athletes.
“This partnership amplifies two of our key business verticals in gaming and media to further our strategic goal of continually creating new and unique sports content and experiences for our fans and guests to enjoy,” Michael Crawford, CEO of the resort, said in a news release. release. “Betr positions our company to obtain the necessary licenses to make a dramatic impact in the mobile betting space and will drive meaningful value for our stakeholders.”
Paul and Levy launched the new company a few days ago, telling Fox Business Betr is “sort of the TikTok-ification of sports betting.” The company is aiming for a younger audience with real-time betting and sports content.
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“Our differentiated product, combined with our sports media company built for the next generation of sports fans along with (Hall of Fame Village’s) strengths and access to unique content experiences in Ohio and throughout the country makes us confident this will be a successful partnership, Levy said.
At the tail-end of the announcement, the Hall of Fame Village said the Betr deal “replaces the previously announced agreement with Genesis Global, Ltd.”
Companies that get a Type-A license are able to get two “skins” or vendor contracts, allowing one license to support two apps.
The resort has partnered with Rush Street Interactive to build a physical sportsbook at the resort, pending a license from the state.