DubClub Aims to Empower Amateur Sports Bettors with Expert Insight
San Francisco-based startup DubClub is setting out to even the playing field for amateur sports bettors by connecting them with professional handicappers. The company’s mission is clear: to help bettors win more frequently in an industry where the house typically prevails.
The Lucrative Sports Betting Market
According to the American Gambling Association, the American sports betting market generated $10.9 billion in revenue for casinos, sportsbooks, and iGaming in 2023. One of the industry’s profit drivers is the fact that most sports bettors lose their wagers, creating a structural advantage for the betting operators.
DubClub’s Strategy
DubClub, founded three years ago, is looking to disrupt this dynamic. The platform enables amateur bettors to subscribe to professional cappers, who are experts in researching and predicting the outcomes of sports events. These cappers use their own handicapping systems to pick winners, a practice that has been around as long as gambling itself.
However, the industry is not without its risks. Scams are prevalent, and finding reliable cappers can be challenging. DubClub addresses this by vetting these sports content creators, ensuring subscribers receive credible advice through text, email, or Discord.
The Founding Insight
The idea for DubClub was born from a conversation overheard by co-founder and CEO Ryan Gaertner between co-founders Andrew Daschbach and Lewis Burik. Daschbach was seeking better information to gain an edge in sports betting but found the process of finding and paying cappers to be fragmented and unreliable.
Building a Platform
Gaertner saw an opportunity to create a product that would bridge the gap between cappers and bettors. After six months of collaboration with sports betting content creators, DubClub was launched in 2021. Since then, the platform has garnered over 1 million subscribers, with some users staying subscribed to certain cappers for over a year.
Funding and Growth
Recently, DubClub secured a $7.5 million Series A funding round led by Renegade Partners. Gaertner notes that the company isn’t particularly capital-intensive but aims to use the funds to enhance its technology stack and website, as well as to hire additional engineers and product development staff.
Roseanne Wineck, co-founder and managing director at Renegade Partners, was introduced to DubClub through a chance encounter at an airport. She views the sports betting sector as a lightning-in-a-bottle market with significant growth potential, despite its polarizing nature.
Conclusion
DubClub is tapping into a multi-billion-dollar industry with the goal of making sports betting more accessible and equitable for amateur bettors. By connecting them with expert cappers, the startup aims to shift the odds in favor of the everyday bettor. As the market continues to grow, DubClub’s approach could redefine the landscape of sports betting, offering a new level of transparency and reliability for its users.
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