The entertainment niche in the US and Canada is entering a new development phase. These are no longer just B2C giants but also aggressive startups that approach gambling differently.
New projects are created by professionals familiar with the difficulties that operators face: high traffic value, outdated payment solutions, complexity of regulation, and the need to retain customers.
Common Features of New iGaming Startups
Key Startups
- Franchise model with local directors (Ontario)
- Target audience: women aged 35+, interested in slots and instant games
- $114M GGR in 18 months
- 11 sessions per player per week
- Average LTV is 32% higher than the industry benchmark
- AI betting assistant via Telegram, Discord, and Twitter
- Founders: Cal Spears, Jonathan Bales
- Fee-per-bet or subscription-based monetisation
- No SEO or website required — the bot acts as the platform
- Every player interaction is a monetisation opportunity
- Smart cashier platform (SaaS)
- 250+ PSPs, auto-routing, anti-fraud tools
- Integration in just 72 hours
- CR increased from 63% to 79%
- Chargebacks reduced by 22%
- Invite-only betting exchange with custom markets
- Projected trading volume: $375M in 2024
- Users: experts, traders, insiders
- Transparent marketplace with user-generated lines
- Can serve as a backend engine for new platforms
- Free-to-play betting simulator
- Target audience: users aged 18–24
- Over 5,000 players transitioned to real casinos
- Risk-free learning of odds and strategies
- Operators gain well-prepared, high-LTV users
- Social casino 2.0 with NFTs, AR, and AI
- Founder: Sandra Wong (ex-Chumba)
- Jurisdictions: US, Canada, Australia
- NFT avatars with unique in-game traits
- AR experiences (e.g. collecting bonuses in real-world settings)
- Bonus system driven by social proof
All these brands have the following common features:
- Solution to a particular problem (of entrepreneurs or players).
- Focus on automation, UX, and hyper-personalisation.
- Emphasis on scalable models that do not require many employees.
- Attention to a young audience and new markets (the US, Canada, and Latin America).
Casino Market experts will help you learn more about such projects and order a turnkey gambling business.
Betty: iGaming Franchise with Hyper-Localisation
It is the first company to apply a franchising structure to an online casino. Instead of centrally managing the entire market, the team of specialists builds national mini-brands with independent directors in each jurisdiction.
This allows them to adapt UX, communications, and marketing to the culture of a particular region, which is critical in regulated states of the US and Canada.
Key features:
- location: Ontario;
- founder: Justin Park, ex-Uplift (edtech);
- model: franchise with dedicated P&L and centralised technological base;
- target audience: women 35+ who prefer slots, products with instant gratification, and daytime gaming.
Achievements:
- $114 million GGR run rate in 18 months;
- 11 sessions a week per active player;
- LTV is 32% higher than the industry average.
There are several reasons why the company’s approach is so important:
- Local CEOs adapt to cultural specifics faster.
- Branding and advertising flexibility appear.
- The model is easily scalable in new regulated markets.
Gamble.ai: AI Instead of a Media Affiliate
The enterprise is breaking the classic partnership type. Instead of paying for registration, operators work under the scheme “payment for interaction”.
Artificial intelligence analyses bets, behaviour, and statistics to offer clients personalised forecasts and bids via Telegram, Discord, or Twitter.
Main characteristics:
- founders: Cal Spears (RotoGrinders), Jonathan Bales (Fantasy Labs);
- platforms: Telegram, Twitter DMs, and Discord;
- model: monetisation via Fee-Per-Bet or subscription to an AI consultant.
The branded system performs the following functions:
- recognition of screenshots and creation of bet slips;
- provision of bids based on the history of sessions;
- generation of custom recommendations in live events.
Reasons why this is important:
- no dependence on Google or SEO;
- no need for a front-end: the bot acts as a platform;
- all requests of players become potential transactions.
Fluid Payments: a Smart Cashier for Casino Operators
The portal solves the problem of inefficiency of financial solutions. The service replaces dozens of integrations with a single back office where entrepreneurs can manage routing, anti-fraud, reporting, and cashier UI.
Key features:
- product: SaaS cashier with automatic routing, support for more than 20 PSPs, and White label API;
- integration time: 72 hours.
The model affects metrics and provides:
- increase in CR from 63% to 79%;
- decrease in chargeback by 22%;
- time-to-market reduction by 30-40%.
Fluid gives marketing more control over the user experience and is suitable for young startups as much as large operators.
Forecasters: Betting Exchange Instead of a Bookmaker’s Office
The enterprise creates a closed P2P stock market where players independently form their niche. This is an alternative to bookmaker margins and fixed odds, which can become popular among advanced bettors.
Key features of the vendor’s offer:
- product: platform with custom markets and invite-only access;
- trading turnover: $375 million in 2024;
- users: experts, traders, and insiders.
Forecasters performs the following functions:
- trading as in financial markets;
- betting marketplace with full transparency;
- the ability to independently create lines and limits.
The bookmaker exchange provides access to an audience that does not play in the standard UX. Besides, the software can be used as a backend engine for new entertainment projects.
Hot Takes: Gamified Betting Training
The firm attracts young clients through a safe platform for simulating bids. This is not a casino but an educational project with a mission to turn beginners into professional casino visitors.
Key characteristics:
- target audience: 18–24 years old;
- model: free-to-play, in-game currency, and challenges;
- metrics: more than 5,000 users switched to real entertainment locations.
The main features of Hot Takes:
- The player learns to analyse lines, as well as predict and calculate probabilities.
- The risk-free environment helps build the habit.
- Operators get warmed-up customers.
The LTV of skilled clients is higher. They make fewer mistakes and are less likely to abandon the digital platform.
Lucky Lady Games: Sweepstakes 2.0 with Metaverse Elements
The company is building a new version of a social casino — with non-fungible tokens, artificial intelligence, and a multiverse. This is a project aimed at millennials and Generation Z, who expect “funware” and engagement.
Background information:
- founder: Sandra Wong, ex-Chumba;
- technologies: NFT, AR, live tournaments, and AI avatars;
- jurisdictions: the US, Canada, and Australia.
Lucky Lady uses such innovative technologies as:
- NFT avatars with game characteristics;
- AR interactions (for example, catching incentives in the real space);
- bonus economy based on social proof.
The brand rethinks the sweepstakes model and uses several triggers (visual, emotional, and behavioural). Thanks to the provider’s services, operators can work even in jurisdictions where classic gambling projects are prohibited.
The Main Things about the Influence of Startups on the Casino Niche
The future of iGaming belongs to those who can not only sell content but also create emotions and communities around their platforms.
Entrepreneurs should pay special attention to the following startups:
- Betty — franchising model and unit economics management.
- Gamble.ai — a new approach to attracting users through AI bots.
- Fluid — adjustment of payment UX without a team of 10 developers.
- Forecasters — custom markets and work with betting professionals.
- Hot Takes — transformation of training into retention mechanics.
- Lucky Lady — transition to social-first gambling with elements of the metaverse.
It is possible to order the development of an iGaming business from the Casino Market studio. Experienced specialists will gladly help you to choose software and promote a digital platform.
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