A Sports Betting Startup for Casuals

NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and The Players’ Tribune founder Jaymee Messler are launching a sports betting and gaming startup for casual fans called The Gaming Society. 

“We are creating something that doesn’t exist in the current landscape,” Messler, the company’s CEO, told FOS. “No platform is catering to sports fans that don’t know or understand how to bet.”

The Gaming Society has launched a newsletter, a sports betting course, and a podcast. It does not operate a sportsbook, but its website currently offers a betting promotion with FanDuel.

“Education is 100% needed in the betting space,” Garnett told FOS. “Sports betting is almost set up so that you will fail. But our education will hopefully set more people up for success and give them confidence to make bets.”

• Sports betting is active in 21 U.S. states and legal, but not yet established, in nine more. 
• The sector brought in gross revenue of $283.9 million in April, bringing the 2021 total up to $1.24 billion, according to the American Gaming Association. 

With $334 million in NBA salary earnings and a 2008 NBA Championship, Garnett is the second highest-paid NBA player of all time. Asked if he sees team ownership in his future, Garnett replied: “Hell yeah! I am really interested in emerging sports and women’s sports, in addition to the obvious.”

Garnett was interested in purchasing the Minnesota Timberwolves before the team, along with the Minnesota Lynx, was bought by a group led by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore for a total believed to be around $1.5 billion.