2018 saw the US Supreme Court legalise online sports betting, a ruling that has sent shockwaves through the industry. “It was a historic event, this was the biggest market in the world opening itself up,” explains Eskil Kvarnström, the CEO and co-founder of Leadstar Media.
The timing could not have been better for the Stockholm-based company, who had enjoyed two years of unprecedented growth,“We knew right away if we want to be market leaders, we needed to expand to the US,” continues Eskil.
“The US is now in the process of legalising online betting state by state,” Jacob Ljunggren, the product director at Leadstar explains. “Which means that our site has to provide the very latest information as things are constantly changing.”
It is not only legislation that UnitedGamblers keep its visitors informed about, but also the dozens of online sportsbooks and casinos that are beginning to pop up all over the US.
“Every week we have new online sportsbooks or casinos opening up in states that have only just legalised online betting,” explains Jacob. “So there has never been more value in connecting new betting sites with new customers.”
It is New Jersey that has begun to emerge as a surprising trailblazer for online betting in the US. The Garden State was one of the first to legalise online betting, but crucially, it also offered one of the least restrictive licensing systems.
The NJ success story has not gone unnoticed by the Leadstar Media team “we are now waiting for our NJ license,” says Eskil. “We can’t wait to start building relationships with affiliates there.”
Later in the year, Leadstar Media will launch an additional US site, focused primarily on sports betting.
Leadstar Media have enjoyed a particularly aggressive period of growth in the past year. In 2019, they launched a Brazilian website sitedeapostas.com, managed by ex-footballer Enrico Nazare along with Indian and Spanish sites.
“Every market has its opportunities and its challenges,” says Jacob. “Brazilians in general, know a lot about sports but not so much about sports betting, so we work hard at focusing our content accordingly.”
It’s been an impressive journey from their humble beginnings in a shared office space in Stockholm. Business is undoubtedly booming, but Eskil Kvarnström is not one to rest on his laurels, “We have enjoyed a significant period of growth over the past two years, but we are not satisfied, now we want to aim higher, and become a truly global player.”
It’s the Indian and Latin American markets that are of particular interest to Leadstar Media. “These markets can seem intimidating, but we know that our business model can work anywhere,” explains Jacob Ljunggren. “We just have to retain that winning combination of local and international expertise”.
Leadstar Media are now looking for experts from these markets to join their twenty-man team in Stockholm.
