Sparks

What is Sparks?

“Nearly half of all respondents (45%) say they’ve borrowed money to place sports bets, with 13% taking out a personal loan to bankroll their betting and 11% securing funds through a high-interest payday loan,” the report continued.

Many sports bettors are unfazed by the high-stakes financial reality of gambling on sports.

U.S. News reported that only 17% conceded sports betting is negatively affecting their financial health. By contrast, twice as many respondents (34%) claimed gambling on professional and college sports has had a positive impact on their finances. About half (49%) reported that sports betting has not impacted their bank accounts either way.

About Sparks

iGaming was not the industry I set out to work in. Before 2021, I worked in finance and business – agro companies, management consultancy and investment funds, none of which were remotely linked to the industry.

In 2021, I joined an investment fund focused on startups harnessing AI and machine learning. In the process, I had a chance encounter with an iGaming investor. This sparked a conversation that would change the course of my career. He pointed out that iGaming was dramatically underutilising its data potential. There was an opportunity here, and once we began exploring it, the thread just kept unravelling.

I started out as an adviser with the Playa, but was appointed the company’s CEO in 2024, a position I did not expect to find myself in, but an opportunity I have embraced with open arms. As a company, we provide AI personalisation solutions to businesses, something that was totally new to the market.

How to play Sparks

The experience led the tech-savvy Dane to create Spilfri.nu, a blocking and support service for people experiencing gambling problems. The service is free for users, while supporters can pay a monthly fee to help monitor their progress. The service also extends to schools and educational institutions that want to ensure their students are not tempted by gambling when they are supposed to be studying.

The work he’s done through Spilfri.nu has also exposed him to a wider problem within the índustry.

“Our work is not driven by opposition to the gambling industry or to legal, licensed operators. Quite the contrary.”