Underdog Fantasy Awards First GuardDog Grant

Underdog announced first investment with idPairFirst investment through Underdog’s “GuardDog” programUnderdog has pledged a $1 million total investment in responsible gaming

Underdog Fantasy, which will launch its first sports betting app in North Carolina next week, announced its first GuardDog grant to idPair.

Last year, Underdog Fantasy announced its new GuardDog program, an investment initiative dedicated to fostering innovation in responsible gaming. The company launched GuardDog with a $1 million investment.

According to Underdog, idPair’s technology creates a centralized view of an individual’s play and gambling activity across all applications and operators in a jurisdiction for regulators. This data can help provide for universal responsible gaming limits.

First Grant Through GuardDog

GuardDog’s mission “is to identify, invest and help grow innovative startups that help real-money operators operator responsibly and player play responsibly.”

“Most users play with more than one operator for their gaming activity. The opportunity we see with idPair is the ability to connect people and their play, and use those insights to inform enhanced responsible gaming initiatives,” said Adam Warrington, vice president, responsible gaming at Underdog, in a release. “Operators can only focus on their individual platforms. We believe that the ability to partner with regulators using idPair’s technology will create opportunities for partnerships that advance safer play.”

idPair is currently active in several jurisdictions. In addition to an investment from the GuardDog fund, the company will have access to top advisory, mentors, and investors and will be prioritized for integration into Underdog product offerings.

idPair has also partnered with several major universities to facilitate the study of anonymized transactional data by experts in the field.

The company creates a centralized repository of transactional data to analyze consumer behavior across multiple gambling platforms. By connecting data, the company can give regulators a comprehensive view of each user’s gambling activity, regardless of how many sports betting apps they use. The company can also facilitate interventions for users exhibiting high-risk behavior between regulators, operators, and consumers while prioritizing data privacy.

“We are thrilled about GuardDog’s investment and partnership with us,” said Jonathan Aiwazian, CEO of idPair, in a press release.

“By leveraging their vast network and data, we can accelerate our mission to drive collaborative information sharing among operators and regulators, ultimately fostering a safer and more sustainable environment for all. Together, we look forward to making significant leaps in consumer protection and industry innovation.”

Long List of Potential Mentors

In addition to monetary investments, idPair will also have access to advisors, mentors, and investors from a community of former regulators, experienced funders, responsible gaming experts, and other who can help grow their business.

GuardDog and Underdog Fantasy have compiled an extensive list of mentors that include Brianne Doura-Schawohl, renowned responsible gaming advocate; Adam Warrington, former vice president of Responsible Gaming at FanDuel; Chris Grove, partner at Acies Investments; Dan Hartman, former director of the Colorado Division of Gaming; and Sara Tait, former executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission.

Underdog Fantasy was founded in 2020. UnderDog Fantasy offers its draft daily fantasy sports games in  41 states and its Pick ‘Em games in 33 states.