Pt. 1 - Incentives, Community, and Competition: How Splash is using Innovation to Change the Gaming Industry

Everyone thinks there’s a gambling problem. Really, there’s an innovation problem.

Here’s how we fix it:

Sports, at their core, create communities where competition thrives. Yet the traditional gaming and betting industries have long relied on an antiquated model that prioritizes the "house" over the players. This removes the true spirit of competition. We know that the house always wins, because the house is the one setting the odds and writing the rules of the game. That is the market that DraftKings and FanDuel have established.

But this single player model (you vs. the app) leads to poor player experiences, lack of true competition, and stifled community growth, which is why it’s time to move gaming from a single player experience into the multiplayer arena.

We believe at Splash Inc. that by embracing a multiplayer gaming marketplace (where players compete against one another) and by introducing the right rewards and incentives for community builders, we can unlock the true potential of gaming across players, brands, and even charities. Our mission is to create a thriving, self-policed network that benefits all stakeholders.

The market is growing exponentially fast. In 2023, the U.S. sports betting industry set a new record with [almost $11 billion in revenue] up an astonishing 27.8% year-over-year (YOY).

The deregulation and sanctioning of sports gaming across the United States and United Kingdom, including the legalization of online gambling, has been quickly followed by the full endorsement of leagues along with longstanding and emerging institutions (most notably, TV networks and streaming platforms).

These emerging platforms—Apple TV+, Netflix, YouTube, Twitch, Max, etc—all offer new ways for more people to watch sports than ever before, and now account for more than half of all TV viewership. Ad revenue from streaming platforms is expected to pass $9 billion this year.

Waves of advertising, the explosion of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, and even the incorporation of gaming into the sports-viewing experience—both at venues and on screen—have given gamers more access and opportunity while also improving viewing engagement and cementing gaming’s status as a mainstream pastime. According to a Capgemini study, 67% of sports fans watch sports with a second screen, such as a smartphone or tablet, on hand.

All of which might lead a reasonable person to wonder why the model for the traditional gaming industry is in such dire need of an overhaul.

Given the rapid changes and betting incidents we’ve seen affect the gaming world in recent years after lifetimes of an industry mostly maintaining the status quo, one immediate need seems clear: innovation. Why continue down a familiar, well-worn path when technological and tactical breakthroughs, as well as waves of new gamers and yet-to-be-converted consumers, are reshaping the gaming market? Rather than focus too deeply on where the industry has been, we believe it’s critical to take a hard look at where it’s going.

As influential as new platforms, popular business models, and wagering trends are to the industry, there are two questions that exist outside of those elements that should be answered:

1. What do participants really want out of gaming?
2. What will they want in the future?

The answers might surprise you.

(And they’re coming soon. This article is just Part 1 of 3 in our “Incentives, Community, and Competition” series.)

Does the wait feel longer than a Chicago Bears title? The wait might be sooner than you think. Catch a sneak peek at the Commissioner Economy™.