Betting Hero, the premier live activation affiliate in the North American iGaming industry, and GeoComply, the global leader in geolocation compliance, anti-fraud, and identity technology, today announced the successful closing of the acquisition of Betting Hero by Hero Group Corp., a newly incorporated entity controlled by Betting Hero’s co-founders, Jai Maw and Jeremy Jakary, with strategic financial backing from GeoComply. For further details about the transaction, please refer to GeoComply’s June 27th press release. The new ownership and investment structure leaves Betting Hero in a strong financial position to enter its next growth phase.

“When PASPA was repealed in 2018, Jeremy and I had a vision of helping more people safely learn how to enjoy the incredible digital experience offered by our customers. Six years later, we’ve activated over 500,000 players across the nation, and with the GeoComply relationship, we have the firepower to offer more to the industry and our customers. GeoComply and Betting Hero see the world in a similar way, and we’re excited to have their backing to scale through our next growth phase of Betting Hero,” said Jai Maw, Co-Founder and President of Betting Hero.

The announcement follows Betting Hero’s 2024 SBC Casino Affiliate of the Year and EGR North America’s Diversity and Inclusion Model of the Year honors. Betting Hero is a live activation and research services company leveraging its extensive “Hero” network to engage players directly through dynamic, face-to-face interactions at casinos, arenas, and partnered bars. The company’s hands-on approach is proven to be the most effective in the Affiliate market, delivering an 80%+ conversion rate from registration to active depositing customers—far exceeding industry averages.

In addition to the company’s unprecedented customer acquisition success, leading operators and suppliers in the iGaming industry rely on Betting Hero to provide actionable intelligence and insights through its purpose built, and industry specific consumer insights and testing division; Betting Hero Research. “As a leading operator in the hyper-competitive North American digital markets, PENN Entertainment relies on the Betting Hero Research division as a trusted partner, delivering timely, relevant, and actionable information that accelerates our digital transformation. Their insights are invaluable,” said William Zeralsky, Vice President Marketing Strategy & Performance – PENN Entertainment

“GeoComply shares Jai and Jeremy’s vision to deliver the very best player experience for our industry. While digital analytics alone can offer great insights, they lack the in-person experience for operators to see, hear, and learn from real customer interactions. Betting Hero bridges that gap by delivering exceptional real-world UX insights. We experienced that firsthand ourselves as customers of their Research division, and now we’re excited to support Betting Hero in using that expertise to drive even greater growth,” said Anna Sainsbury, CEO of GeoComply.

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GeoComply Solutions Inc. today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with FansUnite Entertainment Inc. (“FansUnite”), FansUnite US Inc. (“FansUS”), and Hero Group Corp. (the “Purchaser”) pursuant to which FansUnite has agreed to sell to the Purchaser all of the issued and outstanding shares of FansUS, which owns and operates the Betting Hero business, for an aggregate purchase price of US$37.5 million, subject to ordinary working capital and cash adjustments (the “Transaction”).

Upon completion of the Transaction, the Purchaser will be controlled 60% by Betting ‎Hero’s co-founders, Jai Maw and Jeremy Jakary (the “Betting Hero Co-Founders”), and ‎‎40% by GeoComply. GeoComply’s investment in the Purchaser will support the Betting Hero Co-Founders to operate and grow the Betting Hero business following the sale of the Betting Hero business to the Purchaser.

“Jai and Jeremy have built a tremendous business with a laser-like vision to support their customers’ mission for the best possible user experience through the sign-up process. At GeoComply we share that vision and are delighted, through this intended investment, to help Betting Hero further their efforts and deploy more resources and focus into serving our customers and their patrons throughout North America,” said Anna Sainsbury, GeoComply’s Co-Founder and CEO.

Betting Hero has operated for six years and is now active in more than 20 regulated gaming states. Its Activation business has converted over 500,000 new users to online sportsbook and iGaming operators, nearly all of whom were betting at a casino, arena, or in the Betting Hero bar network. The Betting Hero Research segment shows that new users activated by ‘Heroes’ are 50% more likely to make a successful first-time deposit, compared to the industry average. Betting Hero and GeoComply intend to work in tandem to develop real-time solutions that will make the online sportsbook and iGaming activation process as seamless as ever.

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Leading fintech company Sightline has entered into an exclusive partnership with compliance and anti-fraud technology solutions leader GeoComply to bolster the security and efficiency of digital transactions within the regulated gaming industry.

Sightline will integrate GeoComply’s cutting-edge IDComply identity verification solution as well as GeoComply’s compliance-grade geolocation tools across its comprehensive suite of digital payment solutions for land-based casinos and online gaming operators.

GeoComply developed IDComply in direct response to the growing demand for an integrated solution that addresses the expanding compliance needs of the digital gaming industry. Sightline will leverage identity verification and geolocation checks at strategic points during the customer journey to validate that digital transactions comply with the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and adhere to Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) sanctions detection and blocking requirements. The partnership will also strengthen Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) protocols to reduce fraud such as account takeovers.

The implementation of IDComply and GeoComply Core within Sightline’s offerings is scheduled to occur over the coming months.

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“Digital payments continue to proliferate in the regulated gaming industry, and it is essential to have solutions that safely, securely, and swiftly validate customers’ identities. Implementing these tools across Sightline’s payment solutions will significantly decrease the time it takes to validate an identity and they will bolster compliance with the evolving regulations that govern digital financial transactions. Our vision is to create an omnichannel customer experience where patrons can seamlessly enroll, fund, and play their game of choice in under 180 seconds, putting gaming more in line with payments technologies in areas like retail and ecommerce,” Rose Zwirn, SVP of Business Development at Sightline, said.

“Our companies have a long history of collaboration and we’re excited to be working together to implement our GeoComply Core and IDComply solutions for Sightline’s customers. Our goal is to provide digital trust in every online transaction while opening the funnel for legitimate players and stop fraudsters from entering the digital gaming ecosystem. Working with best-in-class partners like Sightline gets us closer to that goal,” Sam Basile, VP of Business Development at GeoComply, said.

Digital wallets and transactions are becoming more common within the gaming industry, and Sightline is an indispensable and innovative partner to operators across the gaming ecosystem. Sightline will use IDComply to swiftly authenticate customer identities during signup across its platforms, simplifying cashless wagering accounts and online Play+ registrations. This move aims to address identity verification challenges, especially in areas like Nevada that require government IDs for account setup. IDComply is expected to accelerate this process, enhancing safety and user experience by reducing friction.

GeoComply’s advanced geolocation technology helps ensure regulatory compliance and is a strategic asset for gaming enterprises aiming to navigate the complex landscape of digital transactions securely and lawfully. With more than 10 billion transactions processed annually and installed on over 400 million devices worldwide, GeoComply empowers gaming enterprises to meet their compliance needs while providing a secure, trustworthy platform for their customers.

Furthermore, both Sightline and GeoComply have offices located at the Harry Reid Research and Technology Park in Las Vegas, symbolizing their joint commitment to advancing technology and compliance solutions within the gaming industry.

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