## Mito House Ventures: Industry Leaders in the Spotlight – Individuals – iGB
In the most recent article, Tom Mito House, head of Mito House Ventures, emphasizes three industry pioneers and examines their journeys to achievement.
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Mito House Ventures: Industry Leaders in the Spotlight
In every field, there are individuals who stand out, and the betting industry is no different.
This month, we emphasize three exceptional leaders in the field: crypto betting pioneer Tim Heath; Flutter Entertainment CEO Peter Jackson; and David Walsh, recognized as one of the world’s top professional horse racing bettors.
Over the last decade, the online betting industry has grown considerably through the rise of mobile platforms. Heath and Jackson lead companies at the forefront of digital advancement in the industry.
YOLO
Heath, originally from Australia, is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist in the betting industry. After graduating from college, he established a software development and e-commerce company, Heathmont.net.
In 2013, he launched Coingaming Group, a crypto betting operator and supplier, which was renamed Yolo Group in 2021. Yolo Group is now best known for its large B2C betting operators Sportsbet.io and Bitcasino.io. We discussed the rapid growth of crypto betting and Sportsbet.io in prior communications.
A seasoned corporate entity, employing over 600 individuals, Yolo boasts a diverse array of ventures in the realms of gaming and investment. Yolo’s consumer-focused brand was a trailblazer in seamlessly integrating streaming into all major sporting events, and an early adopter of the now prevalent “cash out” feature.
Sportsbet.io and Bitcasino.io are industry leaders, providing players with withdrawal times as swift as just 1.5 minutes.
Heath’s emphasis on customer satisfaction has propelled Sportsbet.io to become one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency gambling operators. The company boasts a monthly turnover exceeding $2.7 billion. To put this into perspective, the largest operator in Australia, in 2023, had an average monthly turnover of $1.2 billion, holding approximately 50% of the market share in the nation.
What lies ahead for him? He aims to revolutionize the international payments landscape, which currently relies heavily on the SWIFT system. He believes SWIFT exhibits certain inefficiencies, such as delays and a lack of privacy.
Global Supremacy
Meanwhile, Jackson has held the position of CEO at Flutter Entertainment since January 2018. Under his guidance, the company’s valuation has doubled, and it is now the largest publicly traded gambling enterprise globally. Only Bet365, privately owned by the Coates family, comes close to Flutter’s global reach.
Flutter is the sole publicly listed consumer-focused gambling operator within the Waterhouse VC portfolio.
Jackson earned his degree in production engineering from Cambridge University and spent three years at McKinsey sharpening his abilities. He then transitioned to Halifax Bank of Scotland, where he held various roles until its acquisition by Lloyds Bank in 2009.
At the age of 34, he was named the head executive of foreign exchange company Travelex. He steered the company for five years, boosting income and ultimately overseeing its £1 billion sale. From 2013, he served on the board of Betfair, before being appointed the chief executive of Flutter five years later.
Early in his term, Jackson recognized the significance of size and effectiveness in a heavily taxed and regulated industry. Drawing on his experience in consulting and banking, Jackson developed operations that guided their respective markets through organic expansion and mergers and acquisitions such as MaxBet and Junglee Games.
The Momentum Effect
By utilizing Flutter Group’s wider global industry expertise, technology development, customer insights and data analysis, each of Flutter’s divisions benefits from a “momentum” effect.
This momentum has driven revenue growth of 11x for Flutter’s US business FanDuel, from $300 million in 2018 to approximately $3.3 billion in 2022, where it now holds a leading 37% market share.
Jackson played a key role in Flutter’s recent dual listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: FLUT).
The firm debuted on the American stock exchange on the twenty-ninth of January this year. This action grants them enhanced access to American financial markets and streamlines the process of providing stock incentives to American workers.
Historically, American equities have been valued at a higher rate than other global stock markets. Flutter’s stakeholders will reap the benefits of this elevated valuation, and the firm can leverage its premium valuation to secure additional funds at a reduced cost.
Mona
The wagering industry provides entertainment at a price. Only a minuscule number of individuals are able to wager profitably – they do not require payment for entertainment.
We hold the belief that there are no more than fifty gambling entities globally that can triumph on a grand scale. David Walsh is regarded as one of the most successful gamblers on the planet, and he collaborated with Zeljko Ranogajec to establish a group.
This group places bets on horse racing, sports, lotteries, casinos, and financial markets across the globe. The group’s annual revenue is purportedly in excess of three billion dollars. However, some estimate their global revenue to be significantly higher.
Walsh invested seventy-five million dollars to establish the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). For his contributions, Walsh was bestowed with the Companion of the Order of Australia (AO) for his exceptional contributions to the visual arts and his support for diverse cultural, charitable, sporting, and educational organizations.
Can a fresh group vie with them?
Highly skilled and astute individuals are professional gamblers. They possess a profound comprehension of the intricate mechanics of every sporting event, casino game, or lottery.
These individuals are adept at simulating a multitude of variables to forecast the genuine probability of an outcome. They then seamlessly integrate all these factors to operate a professional gambling enterprise, which necessitates the management of a substantial workforce.
Particularly in the realm of horse racing, teams composed of mathematicians, statisticians, and computer science experts diligently develop, maintain, and enhance algorithms that analyze extensive historical horse racing data and horse-specific individual factors – encompassing track conditions, jockey statistics, splits, weather, and pedigree – to guide betting decisions.
As previously discussed, horse racing betting syndicates also reap the benefits of receiving a rebate on their wagers, irrespective of the outcome. To qualify for a rebate, syndicates are obligated to place substantial sums of money. Rebates effectively augment their existing “advantage,” making it increasingly challenging for nascent syndicates to compete in the horse racing arena.
Waterhouse VC is a fund tailored for wholesale investors, specializing in investments in global listed and private entities associated with betting and gaming.
Since its establishment in August 2019, Waterhouse VC has generated a cumulative return of 2,858% as of February 29, 2024, assuming all distributions are reinvested.
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