Nearly two weeks after the launch of legal sports wagering in Ohio, microbetting website Betr debuted with a real-money product Friday in the Buckeye State, the home of co-founder Jake Paul.
Betr began a soft launch in the state on Jan. 1, coinciding with Ohio’s first day of sports betting. On Friday, Betr activated account deposits and withdrawals across the state.
The launch of Betr’s real-money product concludes a hectic week for the company. On Tuesday, regulators in Massachusetts grilled Paul on suitability issues associated with the company. Betr is one of a handful of digital gaming operators seeking a license in the Bay State.
"In closing statements Tuesday, Commissioner Jordan Maynard said, “We ask hard questions and we probe, and sometimes we probe too far.”"
Okie dokie.
‘Forthright’ Jake Paul Deftly Handles Probe At Betr’s Massachusetts Platform Review https://t.co/0D518GdGOY
— Alfonso Straffon 🇨🇷🇺🇸🇲🇽 (@astraffon) January 11, 2023
Paul, a professional boxer and YouTube influencer, was born in Cleveland in 1997, the year before the NFL announced it would award a new franchise to Cleveland, enabling the Browns brand to be revived.
Paul, who also serves as president of Betr, touts microbetting as an attractive option for customers, enabling them to wager on immediate outcomes over the course of a game such as the result of a team’s next drive in football.
“I couldn’t be happier that my home state of Ohio is the first to receive access to Betr’s real-money gaming product,” said Paul in a statement. “People are going to love watching and rooting for bets tied directly to their favorite players, whether it’s a Donovan Mitchell 3-pointer, a Ja’Marr Chase 50-yard bomb, or a Jose Ramirez home run. Betr makes every game more fun by adding these stakes.”
Enormous $1 million offer
To celebrate the occasion, Betr is offering a $1 million promotion available to all users in Ohio. The first Ohio customer to hit a winning streak of 30 qualifying microbets in a row will win the $1 million prize. The promotion begins on Friday and runs through the Super Bowl. Betr plans on awarding a customer a payout of $50,000 if none of the entrants win 30 straight microbets by Super Bowl Sunday.
Microbetting site @betr is running a $1 million contest to celebrate its real-money launch in Ohio. Starting today through the Super Bowl, the first user in the state to hit 30 *qualifying mircrobets in a row wins $1 million.
*Bets: min. $5, at odds of 1.8x or -125 and longer.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) January 13, 2023
In addition, Betr is offering the promotion as a free-to-play contest in 48 U.S. states. The winner of the free-to-play promo will receive a payout of $10,000, according to the company.
Betr, which was co-founded by former SimpleBet executive Joey Levy, also gained market access in Indiana through an agreement with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Betr received market access in the Buckeye State in August through a 10-year deal with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. According to Levy, Betr’s debut in Ohio also sets a U.S. online sports betting record for the fastest launch from the founding of the company to the date when it rolled out a real-money product.
“This launch marks the beginning of our gradual, methodical approach to state-by-state expansion where we will take the time necessary to discover and validate product-market-fit of our highly differentiated product experience to ensure we scale in a profitable manner,” said Levy in the statement.
Photo: Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY
