BetHog Crypto Casino And Sportsbook, From FanDuel Co-Founders, Launches Internationally

Tech entrepreneurs Nigel Eccles and Rob Jones have a proven track record for success as the co-founders of FanDuel, and they revealed their next major project in the gaming space Tuesday morning. The duo has launched BetHog, a cryptocurrency online casino and sportsbook that is available for play in assorted countries — but not the U.S. or U.K.

BetHog launched with $6 million in seed funding, led by 6th Man Ventures (6MV) with additional funding from Will Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Karatage, Advancit Capital, and such noted angel investors in the gaming space as Chris Grove and Josh Hannah.

“The crypto casino market has seen dramatic growth over the past few years driven by innovations like provably fair games, robust VIP programs, and streaming,” Eccles said in a press release. “With BetHog, my goal is to innovate even further by bringing unique and highly visual games to market. I want to offer users unique play-along and skill-based titles, combined with a robust VIP offering, but most of all, this is about maximizing fun for our users!”

On the BetHog home page, the product is described as “crypto casino done right.” The marketing continues, “Say goodbye to generic slots, say sayonara to slow and janky crypto-native products.”

From Hogger to HODL!

The new platform is placing a heavy emphasis on “BetHog Originals.” Among those profiled on the website:

• Hogger, an odds-based game reminiscent of the 1981 arcade game Frogger
• HODL!, a crash-style game themed around the volatility of trading meme coins
• Thermonuclear Boars, a game in which players try to uncover rewards while dodging mines
• Liar’s Dice, a player-vs.-player bluffing game
• Schrodinger’s Hog, a dice game in which success is based on predicting the outcome of a roll

BetHog is built on the blockchain platform Solana, which can process thousands of transactions per second. The casino and sportsbook also accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether (or USDT).

Although BetHog is not presently available in the U.S., its emergence will raise questions about the potential future entrance of crypto casinos in the regulated American market, as well as cryptocurrency transactions for existing regulated operators.

“We are thrilled to be backing Nigel and the entire team at BetHog on this investment,” said 6MV General Partner Serge Kassardjian in the release. “We think they are perfectly positioned to unlock this massive opportunity to build the most innovative online casino and betting platform of this era of crypto. We believe this will bring in a diverse audience of crypto and non-crypto gamers to enjoy this differentiated and fun gambling experience.”

The launch comes as the FanDuel co-founders remain embroiled in a lawsuit against their former company’s board and investors for breach of fiduciary duty and related causes of action, in connection with FanDuel’s 2018 merger with PaddyPower Betfair. Oral arguments in the case are expected in the next couple of months.