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Sharp Alpha Closes Fund II With Over $25 Million To Back Sports, Gaming, Entertainment Startups
Sharp Alpha Advisors announced the closing of Sharp Alpha Fund II, an oversubscribed $25 million venture capital fund investing in early-stage sports, gaming, and entertainment businesses.
Existing investments in Fund II include C15 Studio, which recently emerged from stealth mode as the operator and distributor of Formula 1’s new streaming channel. Previous investments include Almost Friday Media, Jackpot.com, and Betcha (acquired by Vivid Seats).
The fund targets seed investments ranging from $1 – 2 million. Sharp Alpha also operates a co-investment vehicle that provides limited partners the ability to invest additional capital in select deals alongside the fund.
Managing Partner Lloyd Danzig was recently named to Business Insider’s Top Venture Capitalists in Sports and ELG’s 40 Under 40. He is frequently featured by CNBC, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
The fund is backed by public companies, US fnancial institutions, pro sports team owners, family offces, top venture capitalists, and funds of funds, among others.
According to Danzig, there is a signifcant opportunity at the intersection of sports, gaming, media, and technology. “The competitive entertainment category is experiencing exponential growth but at the same time is desperate for innovation that early-stage companies are best positioned to supply.”
The fund has exceeded its $25 million capital raise target and expanded the size of its deal team.
Commenting on current market conditions, Danzig explained, “we are entering the most favorable period in the last 15 years to bet on great founders.”
Sharp Alpha’s advisory board includes Keith Horn, founder of Loring Capital Advisors and former COO of Elliott Management and Global Head of Leveraged Finance at Merrill Lynch; Emanuel Pearlman, the former Chairman of Empire Resorts and board member at several public companies; Daniel Bernard, Founder and Chairman of Redwood International Sports; Roy Behren, the President and Chief Investment Offcer of a $5.2 billion asset manager; and Don Kornstein, the Vice Chairman of Caesars Entertainment and former executive at numerous successful gaming companies.
In addition to investment capital, the frm provides portfolio companies with a suite of resources and opportunities spanning fundraising, revenue generation, brand awareness, commercial strategy, fnancial planning, and product development.
Gambling in the USA
StreamRollers names Top 100 casino influencers after Las Vegas awards gala
Inaugural StreamRollers Top 100 Casino Influencer Awards were held May 2 at SAHARA Las Vegas and livestreamed globally.
StreamRollers has announced its Top 100 Casino Influencers of 2026 following the inaugural StreamRollers Top 100 Casino Influencer Awards, held May 2 at SAHARA Las Vegas in Nevada. The company said the event brought together casino content creators, gaming executives and media for a formal gala.
Former Nevada State Attorney General George Chanos presented the awards. “Nevada continues to lead in gaming and innovation,” said Chanos. “This new wave of creators represents the next evolution of how audiences engage with Las Vegas and gambling entertainment.”
StreamRollers listed its top 10 ranked influencers as:
- Raja Richter (The Big Jackpot),
- Vegas Matt,
- Lady Luck HQ,
- Brian Christopher Slots,
- NG Slot,
- D Lucky Experience,
- Mr. Hand Pay,
- Pompsie,
- Xposed
- and PokerMetarb.
The company said the full Top 100 list has been published on its Instagram account.
The company positioned the awards as a marker of the growing creator economy around casino content, which it said spans platforms including YouTube, Twitch and Instagram. StreamRollers said the awards event was livestreamed via StreamRollers.com and noted its platform is currently in beta with an official launch planned.
David Wang, Founder of StreamRollers, commented: “Casino influencers aren’t just playing games—they’re redefining how millions experience Las Vegas and gambling entertainment from their screens. This event is about recognizing the creators leading that transformation.”
The post StreamRollers names Top 100 casino influencers after Las Vegas awards gala appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
casino
StreamRollers names 2026 Top 100 casino influencers after Sahara Las Vegas awards
The inaugural StreamRollers Top 100 Casino Influencer Awards ran May 2, with former Nevada AG George Chanos presenting.
StreamRollers has published its 2026 Top 100 casino influencers following its first-ever Top 100 Casino Influencer Awards, held May 2 at SAHARA Las Vegas.
Former Nevada State Attorney General George Chanos presented the awards. “Nevada continues to lead in gaming and innovation,” said Chanos. “This new wave of creators represents the next evolution of how audiences engage with Las Vegas and gambling entertainment.”
StreamRollers’ Top 10 ranked casino influencers for 2026 are:
- Raja Richter (The Big Jackpot),
- Vegas Matt,
- Lady Luck HQ,
- Brian Christopher Slots,
- NG Slot,
- D Lucky Experience,
- Mr. Hand Pay,
- Pompsie,
- Xposed,
- and PokerMetarb.
The company said the full Top 100 list is posted on its Instagram account.
StreamRollers positioned the awards as a marker for the “casino creator economy,” citing a global casino industry that “exceed[s] $540 billion annually” and claiming the ecosystem includes “up to 50,000 creators globally.”
David Wang, Founder of StreamRollers, said: “Casino influencers aren’t just playing games—they’re redefining how millions experience Las Vegas and gambling entertainment from their screens. This event is about recognizing the creators leading that transformation.” StreamRollers said the event was livestreamed on StreamRollers.com and that the platform is currently in beta, with an official launch planned.
The post StreamRollers names 2026 Top 100 casino influencers after Sahara Las Vegas awards appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Cevro
Golden Whale and Cevro team up to advance AI-driven player interaction
Golden Whale, a provider of machine learning-driven optimisation and decision intelligence for the iGaming industry, has partnered with Cevro, an AI-powered platform designed to automate and enhance player interactions across support and operational workflows.
At the core of the integration is Golden Whale’s Full Model Control framework, which uses ML models to continuously analyse live player behavioural data, enabling more precise decisioning across engagement and incentives, driven by deeper insight into player value, churn probability and behavioural intent. These decisions can then be actioned through Cevro’s AI agents, allowing operators to guide and control player-facing responses with greater precision across multiple channels, including chat, email and helpdesk, with voice capabilities set to follow.
Cevro’s platform supports a wide range of player-facing processes, including bonus queries, KYC checks, payment-related communications and responsible gaming workflows. By introducing decision intelligence into these touchpoints, operators can move beyond reactive support models and toward more proactive, context-aware engagement, where responses are informed by real-time signals around player value and behaviour.
Eberhard Dürrschmid, CEO at Golden Whale, said: “Operators are managing an increasing number of player communications across different touchpoints, and many of those processes are still handled in a reactive or manual way. By working with Cevro’s AI agents, we can connect our decision intelligence directly into these communication workflows, enabling operators to respond more precisely and consistently, while also reducing the complexity of managing these interactions at scale.”
Chaim Heber, CEO at Cevro, added: “Our focus is on helping operators automate and scale player interactions without losing quality or control. By integrating Golden Whale’s decision intelligence, we can bring a new level of precision into how our AI agents operate, using deeper signals around player value, churn risk and behaviour to guide responses. This not only improves resolution and efficiency but also allows operators to deliver more meaningful interactions that support retention and long-term player value.”
The post Golden Whale and Cevro team up to advance AI-driven player interaction appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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