Dave & Buster's, the arcade giant, is partnering with gamification software company Lucra to offer loyalty members the ability to bet on its games.
Adults age 18 and older will be able to place real money wagers when competing with friends on a Hot Shots basketball game, a Skee-ball competition, or any of the myriad of arcade games that Dave & Buster’s locations have to offer.
Dave & Busters owns and operates 223 venues in North America that see 30 million unique visitors each year. The company also touts five million loyalty members.
“This new partnership gives our loyalty members real-time, unrivaled gaming experiences, and reinforces our commitment to continuing to elevate our customer experience through innovative, cutting-edge technology,” said Simon Murray, SVP of entertainment and attractions at Dave & Buster’s.
Social Gaming is estimated to be a $6 billion industry, gaming research firm Eilers & Krejcik told CNBC.
Lucra was created in 2019 and attracted impressive backers in its group of investors, including notable sports and institutional investors SeventySix Capital and Raptor Group, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, former tennis pro John Isner, and pro athletes Zach and Julie Ertz, among others. Its software platform allows users aged 18 or older to compete for real money on friendly competitions. By avoiding the terms "bet" or "wager" Lucra’s skill-based games avoid the same licensing and regulatory requirements that gambling operators face with games of chance.
“Whether you’re playing pickleball with your friends or playing golf on the weekend, we help to amplify that and digitize that experience with our partners,” Lucra CEO Dylan Robbins said of the company's offering, adding that the platform offers “real-money contests or challenges.”
Lucra’s app has facilitated more than one million unique contests on the platform and collected more than $20 million in handle. It signed a deal with pickleball ratings system Dupr and tennis app TennisOne to allow players to compete against one another for real money.
The technology is expected to be available for Dave & Buster’s customers nationwide in the coming months.
