GridRival
- Platform targeted at 23 states initially
- F1 and MotoGP fantasy games currently available, Nascar will come at a later date
GridRival, the sports betting startup dedicated to motorsports, has launched its daily fantasy sports offering for users across 23 states in the United States.
Now, in addition to playing season-long leagues, the fantasy league game for race fans is offering real-money contests based on global race series, including Formula One and MotoGP.
Contests based on other series, including Nascar, are already in development and set to be rolled out in timely succession.
The GridRival platform, which first launched in 2021, features real-money salary cap daily fantasy contests, where users select drivers and constructors. Decisions are aided by the in-depth historical race performance data upon which GridRival has built its reputation, and an in-game chat system, where players can interact within the app, boosting digital dwell-time and fan engagement.
“Motorsports remains a hugely undervalued betting commodity, whose fans have, until now, not been effectively served by traditional operators,” says Ross Fruin, GridRival chief executive and co-founder. “We are launching at the intersection of the rise of US sports betting, and the inexorable growth of motorsports.
“GridRival has already proven itself capable of targeting and engaging the motorsports fan base at scale with an authentic, richly-featured app, and the appetite for a motorsports-specific betting platform is clear, so we are thrilled to have launched our DFS offering.”
“GridRival has been built from the ground up with proprietary tech, including our own wallet and player account management solutions, scoring engines, and game management platform that allow more control over the product experience we can deliver to our users,” added Jeff Shinrock, GridRival co-founder and chief technical officer.
“GridRival has been built by racing fans, for racing fans—and it’s a point of pride that we have been so well received by the motorsports community. With DFS, we’re providing what we believe is the first step in activating this very large audience towards a level of excitement with real money games.”
BlackBook says...
The US Supreme Court only opened the door to the nationwide legalisation of gambling in 2018, but sports betting is still only allowed in 60 per cent of states. GridRival's entry is a tentative first step into an untapped market, with the offer currently limited to daily fantasy sports.
GridRival, which claims to have built a customer base of over more than 200,000 motorsports fans in the past year, says 78 per cent of its users already participate in sports betting and would prefer to use a motorsports-specific platform, presenting a growth opportunity in a nascent gambling market.
With 32 per cent of GridRival users saying they have never bet on motorsports before but would be likely to try it with a daily fantasy option this could be a market that continues to grow exponentially in the US, specifically with Formula One.