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Smarkets raises Series B funding round to supercharge international and domestic growth

Published

5 years ago

June 10, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Smarkets, one of the world’s largest betting exchange and prediction market platforms, has announced the closing of a significant minority investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE).

Having raised just £3.8m ($5.4m) since its inception in 2008, with its Series A round coming back in 2013, Smarkets has built a leading exchange platform that processes billions of pounds in traded volume each year. The company has offices in London, Los Angeles, and Malta, licensed customer-focused operations in five countries, and in 2019 released innovative sportsbook app SBK.

Smarkets is delighted to welcome SGE, which joins existing investors Passion Capital and Deutsche Telekom in supporting the company’s mission to fix betting with the fairest odds in the industry.

This new investment will allow Smarkets to accelerate its rollout in the US, where it is already live in Colorado with sportsbook app SBK and set to go live in Indiana soon. The funding will also bolster SBK’s position in the UK mainstream betting market after its successful launch in August 2019.

The new investment will contribute to:

Furthering the company’s US presence, including market-access deals in new, regulated states
Capturing an even greater share of the UK betting exchange market and accelerating SBK’s growth in the UK’s mainstream sportsbook market
Expanding Smarkets’ development of new products for customers and focus on industry-leading prices on sports, politics, and current affairs
Continuing to capture the best and brightest worldwide engineering talent with a view to doubling headcount by the end of 2022
Further expansion into new and recently entered markets such as Denmark and Sweden

Jason Trost, founder and CEO of Smarkets, said:

“This is an incredibly exciting day. I’ve always been amazed what the passion and energy of a comparatively small group of committed people can accomplish against much bigger rivals; Smarkets and SBK are the product of exactly that. At Smarkets we have always been guided by our vision of fixing betting with the best prices and products, and SGE is just as excited as us to challenge the status quo. This is a huge endorsement of our technology and will allow us to further upend the industry by offering bets as close to fair value as possible.

“We are super proud of what we have achieved so far in the UK betting space, and this new investment will help take us to the next level and beyond in the UK, US, and other international markets. I’d like to thank the women and men that work and have worked at Smarkets for getting us to where we are.

“I truly believe the best is yet to come. This investment will allow us to fight with greater resources, move faster, and be bolder in our mission. We’re so excited about the opportunities this investment unlocks.”

Scott Feldman, Managing Director with Susquehanna Growth Equity, said:

“We are delighted to be able to join Smarkets on their upward journey. We immediately identified with their vision of using technology to take on the betting industry’s big operators by providing the fairest odds in the world and maintaining a clear focus on product excellence.

“Smarkets have achieved a huge amount with little investment to date and we can’t wait to see them go from strength to strength as they expand further into both the US and UK mainstream market.”

blask

New Blask heatmap tracks real-time interest across World Cup 2026 nations

Published

17 minutes ago

June 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

new-blask-heatmap-tracks-real-time-interest-across-world-cup-2026-nations

Blask has launched the Blask World Cup Index, a free interactive map showing daily interest across the majority of the 48 nations competing in the 2026 tournament. It runs for the duration of the competition.

Blask updates the map every 24 hours. Countries where interest towards the major football tournament grows over the previous day turn green. Countries where it fell turn red. Unchanged markets stay grey. Hover over any country for a quick snapshot, click through for a multi-day view, or follow the leaderboard of the fastest-rising and falling markets.

What the Blask World Cup Index measures
Blask World Cup Index draws from the Blask Index, Blask’s measure of iGaming search volume within a given market. On the landing page it tracks football related categories: how actively people in each country are searching for odds, match markets and other football-related content tied to the 2026 tournament.

Country cards show day-by-day trends; a daily leaderboard surfaces the daily World Cup Index and its change with the previous day. Visitors can track how interest in their country builds in the days before their team’s next match and how fast it collapses after an exit. The leaderboard shows which nation leads the index and how that position shifts with results. For operators and affiliates, the most actionable view is a market where interest is growing faster than the team’s performance would predict — the signal that precedes a volume spike.

After a 4-1 victory over Paraguay, the United States leads our World Cup Interest Index with 14.4 million demand points — more than three times ahead of second-placed Brazil (4.28 million), despite the Seleção’s global popularity. Germany sits third with 3.15 million following a 7-1 win over Curaçao, while England (2.53 million) and Egypt (2.22 million) round out the top five ahead of their opening group-stage matches.

To put the 2026 data in context, Blask has published two research reports drawing on iGaming activity across the 2018 and 2022 World Cups — one covering six European markets (UK, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy), one covering six LATAM markets.

The data shows the effect is not automatic: Germany posted positive acquisition signals at both tournaments despite group-stage exits; Peru surged +41% in 2022 without qualifying; Colombia fell 14% the same year.

Both reports include country-level APS data, cross-market patterns, and 2026 projections.

The post New Blask heatmap tracks real-time interest across World Cup 2026 nations appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Ani Isakhanyan Head of Rights and Content at FeedConstruct

FeedConstruct adds Ecuador’s Liga Básquet Pro to global basketball rights

Published

17 minutes ago

June 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

feedconstruct-adds-ecuador’s-liga-basquet-pro-to-global-basketball-rights

Supplier takes exclusive worldwide streaming and data rights for all matches in Ecuador’s top men’s league.

FeedConstruct has acquired the exclusive worldwide streaming and data rights for all matches of the Liga Básquet Pro, Ecuador’s premier men’s basketball competition.

The deal adds another Latin American basketball property to FeedConstruct’s rights portfolio, as the supplier positions its content for sportsbook customers seeking additional live betting inventory.

“This partnership with FeedConstruct marks a decisive step in the international projection of Ecuadorian basketball,” said Enrique Zeballos Márquez, President of Liga Básquet Pro. “Working with a global leader in sports media and data rights allows us to maximise the value of our competition, safeguard the integrity of its data, and bring it to new audiences worldwide.”

Ani Isakhanyan, Head of Rights and Content at FeedConstruct, said: “We are excited to expand our regional basketball portfolio with the addition of Liga Básquet Pro. With its passionate fan base and strong competitive profile, the league brings valuable content opportunities to our network of more than 100 operators worldwide.”

FeedConstruct said the acquisition supports its continued expansion across emerging betting markets and strengthens its basketball rights offering.

The post FeedConstruct adds Ecuador’s Liga Básquet Pro to global basketball rights appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Ani Isakhanyan Head of Rights and Content at FeedConstruct

FeedConstruct Adds Ecuador’s Liga Básquet Pro to Its Global Basketball Rights Portfolio

Published

18 minutes ago

June 16, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

feedconstruct-adds-ecuador’s-liga-basquet-pro-to-its-global-basketball-rights-portfolio

FeedConstruct has acquired the exclusive worldwide streaming and data rights for all matches of the Liga Básquet Pro, Ecuador’s premier men’s basketball competition.

Latin America continues to emerge as a fast-growing market for the sports betting industry, with basketball playing an increasingly important role in regional engagement. The Liga Básquet Pro has helped elevate the sport’s visibility in Ecuador while building a passionate local fan base. With its growing commercial appeal and competitive matchups, the league continues to strengthen its position within the Latin American basketball ecosystem.

The addition of the competition enables sportsbooks to deliver consistent and engaging basketball content to bettors while benefiting from favorable regional time zones that support increased betting activity and stronger player engagement.

“This partnership with FeedConstruct marks a decisive step in the international projection of Ecuadorian basketball,” said Enrique Zeballos Márquez, President of Liga Básquet Pro. “Working with a global leader in sports media and data rights allows us to maximise the value of our competition, safeguard the integrity of its data, and bring it to new audiences worldwide.”

Ani Isakhanyan, Head of Rights and Content at FeedConstruct, commented: “We are excited to expand our regional basketball portfolio with the addition of Liga Básquet Pro. With its passionate fan base and strong competitive profile, the league brings valuable content opportunities to our network of more than 100 operators worldwide.”

The acquisition further strengthens FeedConstruct’s basketball rights portfolio and supports the company’s continued expansion across emerging betting markets worldwide.

The post FeedConstruct Adds Ecuador’s Liga Básquet Pro to Its Global Basketball Rights Portfolio appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.