Wire Industries Inc, an award-winning technology and media company that owns and operates the revolutionary sports betting marketplace WagerWire, announced the groundbreaking expansion of its FantasyWire subdivision.

FantasyWire recently garnered recognition by winning awards from the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association (FSGA) for “Best Product Experience” and “Best Innovation”. The award for Product Experience was attributed to the FantasyWire Pickem trading marketplace which launched in partnership with RealTime Fantasy Sports in 2024 and broke new ground as the first-ever secondary marketplace for users to buy and sell DFS (daily fantasy sports) Pickem entries. Their Best Innovation win acknowledged FantasyWire’s robust pricing engine which powers the dynamic marketplace by allowing players to evaluate a live suggested sales price and deal score on any lineup they wish to sell or buy.

The overwhelming success of the Pickem entries marketplace laid the foundation to expand the offering to an even wider fantasy sports audience. And now, this latest release introduces DFS Pools to the secondary marketplace for the first time ever, further solidifying WagerWire’s position as a leader in the daily fantasy and sports betting industries. The DFS Pool marketplace will operate similarly to the Pickem marketplace. After a player builds a lineup and joins a particular pool, they will be able to sell a portion, or the entirety of the entry within the marketplace directly embedded into the RealTime Sports platform.

“Our users fell in love with the Pickem marketplace and took to it right away. The results were astounding, so creating a new user experience to increase the action and engagement for our users was a no-brainer. There is no other fantasy platform on the planet that allows you to turn your unique entries, both Pickem and pool based, into an asset by leveraging the real time value of that entry. RealTime Sports has been leading the way in terms of fantasy sports innovation since 1995, and our ultra-successful partnership with WagerWire solidifies that we’re still the market leader in game-play, winnings, and innovation,” said Tim Jensen, COO of RT Sports.

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The FantasyWire experience is powered by the same award-winning pricing engine from Pickem, but now enhanced to accommodate the complexities of a DFS Pool. The platform’s dynamic suggested pricing and deal scores empower users with unparalleled insights, ensuring players can maximize returns on their assets. The models are built on thousands of real-time simulations – which are constantly run both before the games and during the games as scores are changing – to calculate where entries will finish against their competitors within a specific pool. Based on these simulations, WagerWire’s data science team models the calculated probability, as well as a live and real-time dollar value for an entry, to help buyers and sellers’ price and set the market accordingly.

Wire Media serves as the growth engine behind FantasyWire’s expanding product suite by inverting the traditional media model. Instead of relying on paid ads or celebrity endorsements, Wire Media tells the story of the fantasy entries and the people playing them, elevating users into influencers to organically drive engagement.

The expansion of the partnership and product has begun to make noise in the fantasy sports and gaming industry. With the news of this latest launch in partnership with RealTime Sports as well as the two 2025 FSGA awards, the industry acknowledged Wire Industries even further by electing cofounder and CEO Zach Doctor to the FSGA Board of Directors.

“One of the main missions behind the creation and founding of WagerWire is to provide liquidity and value to every form of gaming asset, from betting tickets, to Pickems, to contests. And DFS pools were the next asset class to be utilized. Our industry recognition is proof that our products and offerings are truly cutting edge, reshaping the fantasy user experience and changing the expectations around the fantasy market forever,” said Zach Doctor, CEO of WagerWire.

For those that might not know, can you give us a brief overview of Pick’Em Player Props?

In simple terms, the new Pick’Em Player Props product from WA.Technology is almost like a hybrid between fantasy sports and sports betting. In the same vein as traditional player props products that you see in traditional sports, players can select markets on individual players – we have just taken that model and elevated it.

During the game, players can make between two and six bet selections. For example, will Erling Haaland score more or less than 2.5 shots? The number of bet selections the player makes then determines their multiplier. By allowing bettors to unleash their sporting knowledge and provide engaging games for them to play, we are helping our operator partners to not only engage with a wider player base but also to fuel long-term retention. It really is a one-of-a-kind product and one we’re incredibly excited about. It’s already proving to be a top performer in LatAm.

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Why has now been the right time to unveil Pick’Em Player Props?

Over the last few years, we’ve seen significant growth in the number of player proposition products. There are several reasons for that. Sports fans have shown a growing affinity for individual players rather than a team. They follow players on social media and engage with content featuring that player.

This reflects the wider trend we’re seeing: the new generation of fans is more in love with the players than the team itself. A great example of this is both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Bettors worldwide would wager on either of those players and engage with their content regardless of which team they played for or what club they supported.

The appetite for player-driven betting is increasing dramatically, resulting in a greater demand for products specifically tailored to individual athletes.

With more traditional sportsbooks, however, we’ve found that there isn’t as much depth of product regarding player propositions – aside from goal scorer markets. We wanted to change that – we wanted to deliver a fun, engaging product that helps build a sense of community among players.

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Since Pick’Em Player Props is also a hybrid of fantasy and sports, it can act as an attractive tool to facilitate new market entries, as fantasy sports are not regulated like sportsbooks or iGaming. Take the US for example. In most states, operators do not need a licence to offer a fantasy sports product. This is the case for many markets around the world, too. I believe this will be an attractive proposition for operators looking to expand their international footprint, and as a truly global provider, we’re here to make that happen.

In your view, what differentiates WA.Technology’s Pick’Em Player Props from other player props products on the market?

Currently, we are the only B2B provider to offer a player propositions product that combines sports and fantasy. A handful of companies in the US offer something similar, but they are all B2C companies – we are bringing something totally unique to the B2B space.

Fantasy Sports have always been popular in the US. But over the last 18 months, we’ve seen a meteoric rise in the demand for player proposition markets; we wanted to develop a product that caters to that growth in demand and delivers something unique for our partners.

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For other player props products on the market, something that is worth noting is that the design and UX are doing little to engage Millennial/Gen Z bettors. This audience demands a streamlined UX that is easy to use. Our Pick’Em version has been specifically designed with this demographic in mind, although we have been careful not to disenfranchise other age groups. We have kept the design sleek, streamlined and easy to use to deliver that. It’s extremely well-designed compared to what you might see in a more traditional sportsbook.

The game is straightforward to understand because we have fixed multipliers. This decision differentiates us from more traditional products, where the multipliers vary depending on how many bets you place. It also makes the product much more accessible for players who might otherwise not be familiar with fantasy or player props.

Another major defining factor is that we have ensured players can add multiple bets from different markets together. On most sports betting sites out there, you cannot combine player props markets. You couldn’t, for example, have a bet slip combining Erling Haaland’s Over/Under Shots and Kevin De Bruyne’s Shots on Target. We know this is frustrating for many bettors. We wanted to eliminate that barrier and elevate sports fans’ experience.

How does the level of data granularity influence the design and effectiveness of player proposition betting products, particularly in terms of player engagement and personalised betting options?

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We are very fortunate that the data feed we use for our player props markets is the best. We have a wide range of insights and data analytics available, giving us an edge over other companies within the space – this is a serious differentiator.

The enhanced data range means we can deliver many more bespoke, personalised betting options to players while also getting more granular with the markets we can offer.

Our Managed Services Team, which oversees all things trading, also closely monitors the markets that are most popular with players. For example, if we see an influx in bets on ‘shots on target’, we know how to create more promotions around this particular market. We can tailor the CMS to engage better with players and create a more personalised experience.

Players can also ‘favourite’ particular players and clubs. Any market featuring that player will automatically appear when the Pick’Em Player Props application loads up.

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Are there any markets where you believe Pick’Em Player Props will prove to be particularly popular? If so, why?

In all honesty, I can’t think of a market where this won’t be popular! Regions such as LatAm present an enormous opportunity for the growth of player proposition markets. I believe we can really plug a gap in the products currently offered to bettors.

Across the continent, we’ve seen players show a real passion for player-focused markets, and we’re here to capitalise on that. In Brazil, for example, if we were to create markets on Neymar, I’d anticipate this would gain much traction!

The real selling point for Pick’Em Player Props here is that we offer an extensive range of sports and markets that cater to a broad audience – but within that, we can personalise sports and bet selections not to overwhelm the player. I’d expect that markets on football will perform exceptionally well across Africa and LatAm, while countries such as South Africa may have a stronger preference for Rugby or Cricket.

Ultimately, it’s about understanding the unique preferences of players within each jurisdiction our partners operate in and tailoring the product accordingly. With teams based in various markets worldwide, we can get to grips with the local knowledge and fully understand what resonates with bettors.

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In your view, what are some of the factors behind the growth of player props products in the last 12 months?  

Most definitely shows how sports media companies are incorporating more player-specific content into their roster. This already has a huge impact, and I can’t see it changing anytime soon.

Whether it’s interviews with specific players, post-match analytics on performance or even the inherent growth of social media, the balance is undoubtedly tipping more towards the player rather than the team.

Personalisation will also have a considerable knock-on effect on the growth of player propositions. Bettors want more bespoke offers, specific bet suggestions and more instant content tailored to their unique playing habits. With a product like Pick’Em Player Props, you can personalise that betting experience to your heart’s content.

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It also becomes much easier for sportsbooks to align with a specific user’s interests when we deliver unmatched data analytics and levels of personalisation that are available via WA.Technology’s product suite.

In short, Pick’Em Player Props gives operators the tools they need to create wide-ranging engagement opportunities without sticking to the rigid sporting calendar, where sometimes you might have to wait several days between a game. By incorporating fantasy sports, we can deliver round-the-clock content much faster, therefore meeting the demands of players. If you want to find out more – make sure to stop by Stand 1095 at SiGMA!

RotoUnderworld, a technology company that analyzes statistical data for fantasy sports, announced that it has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round to build the next-generation fantasy gaming platform. The round was led by iGaming mavens and technology investors recognizing the company’s hyperactive user base and mobile development capabilities.

RotoUnderworld’s new FastDraft app is revolutionizing the iGaming sector with high-engagement fantasy contests that appeal to both low and high-volume customers. By reducing draft times, simplifying the user experience, and providing more actionable in-game data, FastDraft is accessible to a wider audience of sports fans and fantasy enthusiasts.

“RotoUnderworld is on a mission to bring knowledge and joy to sports. Soon after our sports data business ramped up, we were inundated by fantasy sports consumers eager for more mobile fantasy gaming options, especially in the rapidly growing best ball vertical. We listened and delivered,” said Matthew Kelley, founder of RotoUnderworld and gameplay architect of FastDraft.

“Our drafts finish in under 5 minutes, which is 10 times faster than traditional best ball formats. By simplifying the scoring and reducing the time to draft, FastDraft appeals to over 50 million fantasy gamers worldwide who love drafting but often feel overwhelmed by the complexity, competition and time commitment. FastDraft’s streamlined format makes it easy to engage with the app and significantly increases user spend per session,” said Kelley.

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After acquiring more than 1000 new FastDraft users in the first month, the company is preparing a seed funding round to scale the platform, introduce new contest formats and promote the brand to the millions of fantasy gamers worldwide eager to start drafting faster.