I couldn’t be more excited about Underdog’s future. We have an amazing community, and nearly 300 wonderful people on our team. BBMIV is the largest fantasy contest ever, with $15m in prizes. Our Pick’em games are wildly popular. Our content network is world-class. We’re building an entirely new vision for sports betting in America, all in-house. But success brings challenges: FanDuel and DraftKings are working to slow us down. You should know what they’re trying to do. They are coordinating their lobbyists, market power, partners and years of political contributions to try to stop us and other fantasy companies. Why? Underdog and other companies innovating in fantasy sports and sports betting threaten their monopoly. They’ve seen our company, and others, produce superior products and challenge them for sports fans’ attention. They can’t raise their own game because they can’t innovate. They’re scared that we’ll challenge their market positions. We’re already bigger in fantasy. They can’t tell policymakers and others they don’t like competition, so FanDuel-DraftKings are using a disingenuous narrative that our fantasy sports contests are illegal. The arguments are ironic, ignoring the law for the same flimsy “feels like sports betting” line that critics have always lobbed at their fantasy sports contests. Despite a year of effort, they’re losing the fight with regulators. A clear, simple fantasy sports legal framework exists because of the laws they wrote. A fantasy sports contest must have three core elements (game of skill, multiple athletes, outcomes based on accumulated statistics), which all of our games fit perfectly. In nearly every state where a sports betting law has been passed, the law makes crystal clear that fantasy sports are not sports betting. Regulators agree that our contests are fantasy and not betting, including regulators who oversee both fantasy and betting in Arizona, Colorado, and Indiana. The North Carolina Legislature and Alabama Attorney General recently said we’re right. This isn’t a good-faith fight on the legal merits; it’s a convenient mask for a pure anti-competitive effort. They want to prevent consumers from playing the fantasy sports they love. They want to quash competition in fantasy and stop innovation, and potential rivals, in sports betting. Unable to innovate with new sports games, they are trying to ensure fantasy sports are limited to a very narrow category of games. They want American sports fans to have only one outlet for sports games: the tired old casino sportsbook. We have a different vision. We’ve shown how innovation can bring about new games that our fans love, and ways for our players to increase their enjoyment of sports. We’ll keep innovating, with many new games for fans in our future. And we’ll win this fight to ensure the future of sports games in America serve the fans and not only the interests of big tech monopolies. https://lnkd.in/ekU5_QPf
Underdog
Spectator Sports
Brooklyn, NY 60,947 followers
Underdog is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sports companies on the market.
About us
We’re the fastest-growing sports gaming company ever. Our mission is to build innovative games and products for American sports fans. Founded in 2020, our team built three of today's most widely played fantasy games and successfully launched the largest contest in the history of fantasy sports: a $15M NFL Best Ball tournament -- and there’s a lot more to come! Underdog’s modern tech environment and in-house product development allow us to continuously deliver the best experiences for our users.
- Website
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https://underdogfantasy.com
External link for Underdog
- Industry
- Spectator Sports
- Company size
- 201-500 employees
- Headquarters
- Brooklyn, NY
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2020
- Specialties
- sports, gaming, and fantasy
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
Brooklyn, NY, US
Employees at Underdog
Updates
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Four days. 400+ Underdogs. One unforgettable escape to Wisconsin. ⛰️ Camp Underdog is our annual offsite – and one of our favorite weeks of the year. As a remote-first team, getting time together IRL is deeply important. Camp Underdog is where our culture comes to life – the time set aside to create connections and get to know the people we build alongside every day. This year’s Camp Underdog featured friendly (but fierce) competitions, ziplining, horseback riding, cooking competitions, sports (of course), and plenty of time just hanging by the fire. We swapped stories, shared meals, heard directly from our leaders, and this year, rolled out our new Company Values. 🎥 Check out the Camp Underdog highlights below! You’ll get why we say winning as an Underdog is just more fun. https://lnkd.in/eUujfjrk #underdogmentality #companyculture #remotework
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We are proud to partner with EPIC Global Solutions to further Underdog’s investment in responsible gaming education through a series of training and workshops that promote business sustainability and customer protection. “Partnering with EPIC has reinforced the culture of responsible gaming that we are building at Underdog,” said Adam Warrington, Vice President of Responsible Gaming at Underdog. “We look forward to furthering the understanding of responsible gaming within Underdog and continuing to participate in training sessions and workshops to deepen our player protection knowledge.” Read more details on the partnership: https://lnkd.in/gBCVEuN7
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Tech entrepreneurs looking for guidance from Responsible Gaming mentors like Brianne Doura-Schawohl, Dan Hartman, Sara Tait and others, should contact guarddog@underdogfantasy.com and visit https://lnkd.in/gUSSZq6K to learn more.
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We kicked off something big this year. For the first time ever, we brought all new team members together in person for Underdog Training Camp – our official new hire orientation experience. Over two days, we got to dive into what makes Underdog tick, bond through team-building challenges, and celebrate our five-year anniversary. It wasn’t just onboarding – it was a launchpad for connection, collaboration, and culture. Ready to help us make sports more fun for fans? Join us: https://lnkd.in/gidJNKs9 #hiring
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Through GuardDog, companies and entrepreneurs get the opportunity to learn from industry experts like Brianne Doura-Schawohl, renowned responsible gaming advocate. Hear more from Brianne about why initiatives like GuardDog are critical for consumer protection and to keep the gaming ecosystem in check. Visit https://lnkd.in/gUSSZq6K or contact guarddog@underdogfantasy.com to learn more.
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We are excited to share that Spark Capital is leading our Series C funding round. The investment values Underdog at $1.225 billion pre-money valuation, nearly tripling our Series B valuation from 2022. Spark Capital’s investment is the largest ever investment in the sports gaming industry from a top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firm. “Spark’s investment is a real accelerator,” said Jeremy Levine, CEO and founder of Underdog. “We’re going to continue to invest in people and product – and as fast as we can. There is so much more to build, and we’re going to keep building.”
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GuardDog exists to amplify companies that build responsible gaming tools so that those tools can become a reality for the entire industry. GuardDog offers startups: 💰Monetary investment 👥 Mentorship from responsible gaming experts 🤝 Introductions to investors for follow-on investment 🌐 Opportunity to be utilized on Underdog’s platform If you are interested in getting involved, contact guarddog@underdogfantasy.com and visit https://lnkd.in/gUSSZq6K.