Discerning Capital acquires iProtekt and launches RG platform BettorWatch
VC firm expands into responsible gambling space with new brand and acquisition to plug “significant gaps in the market”
Discerning Capital has launched a responsible gaming service provider, BettorWatch, and acquired iProtekt to bolster its product suite.
The VC firm expects to complete the acquisition of iProtekt in Q1 2025, with the company’s CEO Bryan Price retaining his role with the combined entity.
Price has served as iProtekt’s CEO since November 2021.
Discerning Capital managing partner Davis Catlin will serve as BettorWatch executive chair and fellow Discerning Capital partner David Williams will be both a board member and CFO.
BettorWatch has also formed an initial board of advisers, including former Sightline Payments head Jonathan Michaels, ex-Aristocrat associate general counsel Sheila Bangalore, and Washington & Lee University’s Dr Scott Hoover.
The supplier is set to introduce features including “self-exclusion, including sharing exclusion lists across geographies, partner and regulator reporting, and real-time analysis of player behavior.”
BettorWatch said the tools would make the gambling industry “safer and more sustainable.”
Catlin said: “We have been quietly evaluating responsible gaming in this industry for over five years and saw significant gaps in the market.
“We identified the need for an independent service provider focusing on creating long-term sustainability for the wagering industry. As investors in this industry, we maintain healthy relationships with all parts of the gaming ecosystem, and we benefit if the industry is sustainable long-term.
“We believe BettorWatch’s partnership-driven strategy will help advance responsible gaming initiatives in the US.”
Price added: “By combining iProtekt’s best-in-class responsible gaming tools with BettorWatch’s strategic vision and industry expertise, we are poised to make a significant impact on how the industry approaches problem gaming prevention and intervention.”