REPORT: Simplicity Esports Eyes Betting Expansion

Boca Raton, Florida-based esports organization Simplicity Esports may be eyeing up a possible expansion into the industry’s betting precinct based on newly uncovered public information.

According to domain ownership search platform ICANN, the domain “WINRBET.com” was registered on November 23 by the organization “Shearson.” The same registrant also appears to own “SimplicityEsports.com,” both of which were registered in Florida, US.

It’s possible the Shearson organization listed is linked to Simplicity Esports Founder & CEO, Jed Kaplan, who is named a CEO of South Florida investment firm Shearson Financial Services LLC, according to Wall Street Journal’s market data section.

Beyond sporting common ownership, the registered domain “WINRBET.com,” which is unutilized at the time of writing, may be indicative of a another connection between the two, namely as Simplicity Esports is publicly-listed under the stock symbol “WINR.”

Simplicity Esports owns and manages several esports teams, most notably Flamengo Esports, a prominent Brazilian organization which competes in the region’s premier League of Legends competition, the Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends. Thanks to its merger and acquisition with venue operator PLAYlive Nation in August 2019, Simplicity owns and operates more than 40 gaming centers in 15 states, with an existing customer database said to eclipse 400,000 players.

It’s unclear what Simplicity’s intentions are within the industry’s betting sector or when we’ll know more about this potential expansion. Between its existing stake in esports teams and venues, as well as ties in traditional sports — a nod to Kaplan’s minority ownership in Memphis Grizzlies and Swansea City— there could be room for the company to jump into betting from a more elevated position.